South Sudan national basketball team have moved 20 places to 107 in the latest FIBA world rankings and ranked 19 in Africa released on 3 March 2020.

The country was at position 127 in the previous FIBA rankings.

The huge move comes after the team took part in the FIBA Afrobasket Zone 5 Qualifiers tournament in Nairobi, Kenya, in January 2020.

South Sudan were drawn in group B at the tournament alongside Kenya, Tanzania, Eritrea, Burundi and Somalia.

Although the team failed to make it to the main tournament, which takes place in late November and early December 2020, the team finished second after losing to Kenya in the final group game.

The Bright Star of South Sudan thumped Somalia 114-79 points in their opening game.

The national basketball team then beat Eritrea in their second game by 115 points. With such a performance, South Sudan were granted a Wild Card slot in June.

After taking office in late 2019, South Sudan Basketball Federation President, Luol Deng, promised to improve the performances of the national team.

Currently, the federation plans to organize a national basketball tournament for both boys and girls within the country.

The tournament will consist of boys and girls aged 14, 16 and 19 from eleven different cities.