''Expect a more formidable Angolan side'' - Teotonio Do
LUANDA (African World Cup Qualifiers) - Angola basketball has been going through a rebuilding process in recent times, and their new generation of players will, once again, be tested.
LUANDA (African World Cup Qualifiers) - Angola basketball has been going through a rebuilding process in recent times, and their new generation of players will, once again, be tested when they host the first window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers in Benguela from November 26-28.
One of the players trying to find his space within the former African champions is power forward Teotonio Dó, who sounded rather confident in a recent chat with FIBA.basketball.
"I CAN ASSURE BASKETBALL FANS THAT ANGOLA WILL COME OUT BETTER AS OUR REBUILDING PROCESS HAS PROGRESSED MASSIVELY."
He said that Africa should expect to see a formidable Angolan side in Benguela, where they will go up against Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea and Central African Republic (CAF) in the first round of Group C.
The 27-year-old recalled that that there is a reengineering going on with the 11-time AfroBasket champions and everything is working well for the Africa basketball powerhouse.
Indeed, the Angolans, who clinched one of the five tickets for African teams for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 held in China, have shown some progress in recent times. After winning their last African title in 2013, they finished seventh in the 2017 edition of the African Championship, Angola claimed a fifth-place finish at AfroBasket 2021 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Teotonio Dó saw his playing time increase from 8'minutes (OQT Lithuania) to 12.7 minutes per game at AfroBasket 2021 in just two months
Dó, who started playing basketball at age 14 for the purpose of sliming down because according to the 2.08cm (6ft 10in) Petro Atletico de Luanda forward, he was overweight as a kid but his father insisted he continued with the sport after seeing his progress.
Dó made his national team debut with the Angolan U18 side in 2012 before debuting with the senior team at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Kaunas, Lithuania last July.
He says he will contribute his best to ensure Angola pick one of the three slots going into the Second Phase of the World Cup African Qualifiers.
"I can assure basketball fans that Angola will come out better as our rebuilding process has progress massively and the only goal on every Angolan player and coaching staff is to be among the five countries that will fly the Africa flag at the World Cup 2023 ."
For the first time the 32-nation FIBA Basketball World Cup will be hosted by three countries, namely Indonesia, Japan and Philippines.
Dó also gave hint that African players and nations will soon be among top competing nations in world basketball, this, he attributes to the growing number of players of Africa decent who got drafted into the NBA each year and also playing in top European leagues.
"Africa is a continent blessed with natural talents and very soon the entire world will be forced to reckon with Africa teams in major championships," he warned.
FIBA