Equatorial Guinea's Cabral is urging teammates to complete historic AfroBasket feat

ZAMORA (Spain) - Beating Guinea last month in Yaounde could be the beginning of a new era for Equatorial Guinea basketball.

It was the first leg of Group C for the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers, and it could be a game-changer moment, according to Equatorial Guinea leading scorer Walter Jr. Cabral.

After being allowed to use just eight - of the twelve eligible players - due to administrative reasons, Equatorial Guinea had their backs against the wall. 

However, Cabral and Co. bounced back from two defeats against hosts Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire to keep their FIBA AfroBasket debut hope alive thanks to the 82-75 win over Guinea.

"WE HAVE ALREADY MADE HISTORY BY WINNING A GAME IN THE QUALIFIERS, BUT WHAT WE REALLY AIM IS TO PLAY AGAINST THE BEST TEAMS IN AFRICA AT AFROBASKET. THAT WOULD BE A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT FOR OUR COUNTRY."- Cabral

Equatorial Guinea (1-2) currently sit third in their group behind Cote d'Ivoire (3-0), Cameroon (2-1) and ahead of Guinea (0-3).

"There was no secret about our win against Guinea. We knew that we had to win it, otherwise we would be in trouble. So, we played with our hearts to give us a chance to qualify for the AfroBasket," Cabral told FIBA.basketball.

"Nothing is done yet, there is still a long way to go but we have more control of our chances now," the 24-year-old added.

Cabral, who plays for Club Baloncesto Zamora (Innova Chef for sponsorship reasons) in Spain's Liga LEB Plata, admits that the second leg in February 2021 will be harder, but they will be ready. 

"After several issues that we faced in Yaounde to come up with a win like that, it was special. Our point guard had to play 36 minutes per game because we had not a back up guard, yet the team stayed together. That's the reason we celebrated the way we did."

Where did Equatorial Guinea get so much energy from to compete against three more experienced teams is something that Cabral describes as their desire to put their country on the African basketball map.

"Hopefully, players of Equatorial Guinea origin, who feel that they can help us, should come forward," the Madrid-born stressed.

 When asked to evaluate their Group C task, Cabral called both Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire "very good teams. 

"We have already made history by winning a game in the Qualifiers, but what we really aim is to play against the best teams in Africa at [FIBA] AfroBasket. That would be a remarkable achievement for our country. It would be amazing."

The 16-team FIBA AfroBasket 2021 will take place at Kigali Arena in Rwanda.

But Equatorial will need to finish in the top three places of their group to make their way to Kigali.

"We still have a long way to go," Cabral admitted. "In order to complete our task of qualifying to the Final Round we need to have a complete roster available. We need taller and heavier players to help us in the paint. In Yaounde we paid the price for being a short lineup against Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire," said the 1.99m (6 ft 6 in) forward.

Cabral led his country with team-highs 18 points and seven rebounds per game, but he feels that he can still be better than that. 

"Growing up as a player I have always looked up to Kawhi [Leonard]. As well as being an excellent defender he can play great offensively. I try to be as effective as him for my national team as well as for my club. I always try to be a complete player."

FIBA