''Cape Verde can compete with any team in Africa,'' Almeida believes

PRAIA (Cape Verde) - Cape Verde beat hosts Algeria in the second of a two-game playoff series in January, but the win wasn't good enough to secure them automatic qualification to the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers.

Facing a do-or-die situation, Cape Verde led by as many as 14 points, defeated Algeria 99-90 on Day 2 in front of a full house in Algiers, but the islanders were left with a sense of unfinished business after the 169-166 loss on aggregate.

And that's the reason why the team leading scorer Ivan Almeida - who finished with game-highs 27 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, before he fouled out in the final seconds of the Game 2 - believes that Cape Verde's resilience shouldn't be overlooked. 

"Despite our short preparation for the series, we showed that we can compete with any team in Africa," the 31-year-old said to FIBA.basketball.

"REPRESENTING MY COUNTRY MEANS THE WORLD TO ME. I'LL ALWAYS TRY MY BEST TO HELP ELEVATE THE QUALITY OF THE GAME IN CAPE VERDE AND SHOW THE WORLD THAT WE CAN PLAY QUALITY BASKETBALL."- ALMEIDA

"Obviously there is a lot of room for improvement but we took many positives from those two games. It was a situation that makes me believe that as a team we can truly do a lot better in the near future."

Meanwhile Algeria forward Kamel Ammour paid tribute to Almeida and Cape Verde after the game: "I must give credit o Cape Verde, it's a very, very good team. And defending a player like [Ivan] Almeida is not an easy task because he is an excellent player." 

 The FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers got underway with Group C's action in February in Yaounde while the remaining four groups are scheduled for later in the year.

However, the most frequently asked question of the moment in African basketball circles is who will complete Group E's last spot after Zone 3 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia, Niger and Togo) failed to compete in the pre-qualifiers. 

Almeida doesn't rule out any scenario to help Cape Verde return to FIBA Africa's flagship tournament, including a potential play-off tournament.

"I hope we can take part in the play-in tournament if that is the case," the 1.98m (6ft 6in) swingman explained.  

"The sooner [FIBA Africa make a decision on Group E's last spot], the better as we would make arrangements to bring players like [Real Madrid centre] Edy Tavares and Jeff Xavier.

"If things are planned ahead of time, I believe we have a chance to qualify for the [FIBA] AfroBasket 2021."

 Almeida takes off for a slam against Algeria at FIBA AfroBasket  2015

But how can a team that was up by 14 in the second half in such an important game as was the Algeria case, end up wasting a superb chance for automatic qualification?   

"We played two incredible games despite the difficult situations we faced on and off the court in Algiers," Almeida replied.

"We played two great games given the circumstances.  I have to congratulate the team for the effort.

"I joined the team at the stadium an hour before the first game after traveling more than 24 hours. I started my journey to Algeria in Portugal. After being denied to board a flight Barcelona for visa issues I made it to Algiers via Madrid. I was exhausted, but I would do anything to help my national team. 

Representing my country means the world to me. I'll always try my best to help elevate the quality of the game in Cape Verde and show the world that we can play quality basketball, and also, that we have our place on the African basketball map."

FIBA