RABAT (Morocco) – With the clock ticking down to the start of Window 3 of the 2025 AfroBasket qualifiers, Morocco's Ayoub Nouhi is ready to battle with the rest of the team to turn things around.
Morocco is one of three countries - along with Libya and Madagascar - to host the final window of this year's AfroBasket qualifiers from 21-23 February.
Nouhi is one player who does not believe it is over until the final whistle, and he is determined to get the job done to make his compatriots happy.
Playing in front of our home crowd will give us extra motivation and energy. We definitely want to make everyone proud and finally qualify for an AfroBasket again. - Ayoub Nouhi
As it stands, Morocco are 3-0 down in Group A, putting them in a difficult position with their last three qualifiers at home and, crucially, having to make the most of their apparent home advantage.
Nouhi, however, is well aware of the importance of the task ahead.
He explains to FIBA.basketball what lies ahead for his team.
"It is very important for us to play at home because playing in front of our home crowd will give us extra motivation and energy. We definitely want to make everyone proud and finally qualify for an AfroBasket again," said the FUS Rabat small forward.
With DR Congo, South Sudan and Mali, in that order, all ahead of Morocco, the task is undoubtedly Herculean to say the least and the pressure will be on the home side to deliver.
However, the 1.97m (6ft 6in) Nouhi remains positive about his side's chances of qualifying for the 2025 AfroBasket to be held in Angola.
"There is definitely pressure on us, but it's not a bad thing. We still believe in our chances, nobody in the team, the staff or the federation doubts that we can do it. But at the end of the day, we're just concentrating on the present moment," observed the former University of Texas at Arlington player.
With Morocco having missed out on the last edition of AfroBasket in 2021 in Kigali, Rwanda, and now in danger of missing out on the 2025 edition, Nouhi remains positive, saying simply: "That's the way the game is, at this moment the only thing that matters is that we can still qualify for this AfroBasket, so we can't keep thinking about what happened in the past, except to learn from the mistakes that were made."
As Morocco prepare for the final round, Nouhi admits that there have been lapses in the past, but says that it is not over until the qualifiers are over.
The 26-year-old explained: "We know that we lack overall athleticism in some positions compared to other teams, so we need to be tougher, limit mistakes and play together, but more importantly we need to know that we have the ability to do it."
Morocco face the daunting task of taking on high-flying South Sudan in their first game and will need to spring an upset if they are to have any chance of reaching their dream destination.
FIBA