What can the first Angolan in the NBA bring to the table in Window 4?

 

SANGALHOS (Portugal) - In times that Angola's household names have been a no-show for the eleven-time African champions, the arrival of Bruno Fernando for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers comes as a breath of fresh air.

Angola are 2-2 in Group E, and desperately need to revive their aspirations of qualifying for their sixth straight World Cup.

From August 26-28 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Fernando and his teammates will need to overcome Cape Verde, Nigeria and Uganda - three very familiar teams to Angola - to keep fighting for the five tickets available for African nations for next year's World Cup in Indonesia, Japan and Philippines.

It's been just over six years since the 24-year-old last played for his country.

In a busy 2016 summer, Fernando, then a high-schooler in the US, helped Angola to their last FIBA U18 African Championship title in Rwanda, in a tournament that he was named to the All-Tournament alongside his fellow Angolan Silvio De Sousa.

A few weeks later, Fernando would last wear the Angolan uniform during the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Serbia.

Fernando eventually joined the Maryland University basketball program before being selected by the Atlanta Hawks in 2019 NBA Draft. 

Since then, it's been a journey of hard work, perseverance and hope of putting the Angolan jersey on again.

But what can the first Angolan to play in the NBA bring to the table?

"A lot of things," he told FIBA.basketball in a phone interview from Sangalhos, Portugal, where Angola held a training camp before departing for Abidjan.

"It's a new experience, it's a completely new level. Everything is new for me as a player; The level of expectations are different; the accountability is different. The amount of work I have put in has been different" said Fernando, who recently extended his contract with the Houston Rockets after stints with the Hawks and Boston Celtics.

Former AfroBasket MVP and one of Africa's finest Carlos Morais hasn't played a single game in the current World Cup African Qualifiers campaign. Experienced Eduardo Mingas has retired from the national team and Yanick Moreira last played for his country at 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China.

Angolan head coach Joseph Claros continues to emphasise the need to rebuild the team and help the new generation reach their full potential.

Childe Dundao - a teammate of Fernando during the 2016 U18 African Championship winning team - has been vital for the 'Black Antelopes' team.

"I am looking forward to help whichever way I can," Fernando said.

"Whether that's scoring, I will; whether it's rebounding, I will;  whether it's just playing a role; I will; whether it's for me to do things that benefit the other guys on the floor, I will.

"I am looking forward to be able to be on the court, and make an impact on both ends of the floor. Just do things to help us win the games. We are in a situation we desperately need to win those games. I am just trying to apply things that I learned throughout the years to the floor to help me and my teammates to succeed."

 

Despite his half a decade absence from his national team, Fernando says the motivation and passion for playing for Angola has always been there.

"I am glad I am back, I am glad I was able to find a little time and window where I can finally fit in with the schedule of games that we got. It's a great feeling to put in that jersey on. For me, that's always been a thing on my mind.

"Whenever I find time to be able to represent the national team, I always do it with a lot of passion and love that I have for the country and basketball itself.

"Obviously I am at a completely different level than I was when I last played for the national team as a player. I look forward to putting in a display the amount of growth that I gained throughout the years, use that to help the guys we have on the team. Whether it's the young guys or the guys that have been around. I am looking forward to, us coming together as a group, and putting up in a good performance to help us to get what the goal is."

Asked about the task of going up against Cape Verde, Nigeria and Uganda, Fernando replied: "The goal is to win."

"We are going there with the mindset of trying to win. We are going to approach every game the same way. We're going to respect our opponents, but at the same time we're going to be ourselves. Not too high, not too low." 

As a powerhouse on the continent, qualifying for the World Cup seems to be a must-do task for Angola, but Fernando says they have no pressure.  

"We feel good where we are. There's no pressure. We are going to play, have some fun, are trying to win games, that's the main goal, and that's the only way we're going to qualify. We respect the tradition and respect that our country has, but, at the same time, we understand the feat that we are on right now. We are not trying to put pressure on ourselves in terms of we have to do this, we have to do that. We are just going there to compete.  We are just trying to keep the track going and see where it takes us," Fernando explained.

FIBA