OKINAWA – Head coach Tom Hovasse said Japan were now “on everybody’s radar” after qualifying for the Paris Olympics on Saturday as the highest-placed Asian team at the Basketball World Cup.

Tournament co-hosts Japan beat Cape Verde 80-71 in Okinawa to punch their ticket to France with their third win of the tournament, putting them out of reach of their nearest challengers.

Late on Sunday night, a sensational late collapse by holders and world No. 1 Spain saw them knocked out after losing 88-85 to Canada despite leading 73-61. The Americans themselves suffered a first defeat, going down 110-104 to Lithuania.

In the quarter-finals, Canada face Slovenia, second-ranked United States play Italy, Germany meet surprise packages Latvia while Lithuania battle world No. 6 Serbia.

Japan are ranked No. 36 in the world and had not qualified for the Olympic basketball tournament since the 1976 edition except as hosts at the 2020 Games.

They came from behind late on to beat both Finland and Venezuela and Hovasse said they had “gained the respect of our opponents”.

“I think we showed the world what we can do, and now we’re on everybody’s radar, we’re on everybody’s map,” said the American, who led Japan’s women’s team to the Olympic silver in 2021.

“Gaining respect is a big step, winning games at this level is a huge step, so I’m really proud of what we did.”

Japan took control against Cape Verde but suffered a late meltdown that almost cost them the game.

They conceded the first 13 points of the fourth quarter before they regained their composure to close out the win.

Hovasse said the fourth quarter was “hectic and could have been disastrous” but trusted his players to come through in the end. “These are the moments when you really get a chance to prove yourself but also improve yourself,” he said.

“That’s the mindset all of our guys here. We’ve got some young guys who really stepped up.”

Joshua Hawkinson was Japan’s top scorer with 29 points, including a late three-pointer that helped steady the ship with Cape Verde threatening to take the lead.

Japan went into the World Cup without star player Rui Hachimura, who cited exhaustion after reaching the National Basketball Association play-offs with the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

Hovasse said his players “believed in what we were doing”.

“They believed in themselves and their teammates,” he said. “That’s a big thing of getting the boat moving in the right direction.”

Similarly jubilant was South Sudan head coach Royal Ivey, who said his team were “a beam of light” after they qualified for the 2024 Games on Saturday as the highest-placed African team at the global showpiece.

World Cup debutants South Sudan, who played their first official international game only six years ago and are ranked 62nd in the world, beat Angola 101-78 in Manila to claim their third win of the competition.

Nearest challengers Egypt then lost 88-86 to New Zealand to hand the sole African qualifying berth on offer for Paris to South Sudan.

The country has lurched from one crisis to another since gaining independence in 2011 but the team’s World Cup performances have captured the public’s imagination, with crowds gathering to watch on giant screens in the capital Juba.

An emotional Ivey said they had brought “unity, camaraderie, love and friendship” to the country.

“This team are a beam of light,” he said. “This country has been independent for only 12 years. To do this is incredible. I take my hat off to my players because they trusted us from day one.”

South Sudan captain Kuany Ngor Kuany said he was proud to “create history” by representing his country.

“We’ve had a lot of athletes representing different countries under different flags,” said Kuany, who was born in South Sudan but moved to Australia as a nine-year-old.

“For us to be able to do it for the first time as a country really means a lot and that’s why we were fighting so hard to be able to get that opportunity.”

The impetus for South Sudan’s team came from Luol Deng, a former NBA player who was born in Sudan and raised in London after his father, a former Sudanese government minister and political prisoner, was granted asylum by the Britain.

Deng spent 15 years in the NBA before becoming president of South Sudan’s basketball federation after he retired.

American-born Ivey, an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets in the NBA, said Deng “put this together”.

“A year ago we were practising outside with eagles flying around, the courts were flooded,” he said.

“To go from there to play in front of these fans in the Philippines, I’m on cloud nine right now. It’s a great feeling.” AFP