While preparing for another season with the Northern Kentucky Norse, redshirt sophomore forward Donovan Rakotonanahary spent part of his summer competing on one of basketball’s biggest international stages.
Rakotonanahary, a 6’6″ 190lb forward from Antavaro, Madagascar, represented his home country in the FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, continuing his long history of international competition for the Madagascar national program.
The Norse forward played in all three qualifier games for Madagascar. He averaged 11.3 PPG, 5.0 rebounds and 1 assist per contest while shooting 46.7% from the field.
Rakotonanahary opened the tournament on July 2 against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Logging 21 minutes on the floor, he scored 9 points on 3/7 shooting, added 7 rebounds and recorded an assist.
Two days later, he had one of his strongest performances of the event against Senegal. Rakotonanahary scored 12 points in 19 minutes, shooting 5/12 from the floor and a perfect 2/2 from the free-throw line. He also contributed an assist and 3 steals!
He finished the qualifying window on July 5 against Côte d’Ivoire, posting a line of 13 points and 8 rebounds. Rakotonanahary shot 6/11 from the field while adding an assist in 21 minutes of play.
The three game stretch highlighted the continued development of one of NKU’s international players. Before joining the Norse, Rakotonanahary starred at Oak Hill Academy and established himself as one of Madagascar’s top young prospects. He helped Madagascar earn a silver medal at the 2022 U18 Africa Championship and also competed in the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup.
His recent performance in the World Cup qualifying round showed the growth of his offensive game and provided valuable experience against high-level international competition. As he returns to Highland Heights for his redshirt sophomore season, Rakotonanahary brings back not only confidence from a productive summer, but also the experience of representing Madagascar on the road to the FIBA Basketball World Cup!
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