FIBA Basketball

    ANG - Can anyone halt Angola's march to London?

    ANTANANARIVO (Afrobasket) - A quick peek into the history books is enough to discover that, at the core of each team's quest for Afrobasket gold, and with it an automatic place for the Olympics, is the question of how to overcome Africa's most successful basketball nation in recent times: Angola. For even Angola themselves, who have won 10 of the past 11 ...

    ANTANANARIVO (Afrobasket) - A quick peek into the history books is enough to discover that, at the core of each team's quest for Afrobasket gold, and with it an automatic place for the Olympics, is the question of how to overcome Africa's most successful basketball nation in recent times: Angola.

    For even Angola themselves, who have won 10 of the past 11 editions of the Championship, know that they may be their own worst enemy, such is the quality and depth of their squad.

    Unbeaten in their last 35 Afrobasket games, they have only lost three in their last 72, only one of which - in 1997 to Senegal - saw them fail to win gold.

    Not a single player will have be able to draw inspiration from memories of beating Angola as Algeria - the last team to overcome them - isn't even among the list of participants and Senegal's roster doesn't include any player old enough to have been among their winning team of 1997.

    But to suggest that Angola will stroll through the Championship may be dangerous and there are a number of teams who have a right to set their sights on gold.

    Tunisia and Ivory Coast, both of which participated at last year's FIBA World Championship and both of which fell by 10 points in the 2009 Semi Final and Final respectively, will be hot on their heels.

    Head coach Alain Weisz has clearly stated that Senegal - regular contenders in the 1990s - have their eyes firmly set on gold. "Second or third isn't enough" he has been quoted as telling his players, in spite of missing one or two key men.

    Other teams from Central and Western Africa - a traditional stronghold - such as Cameroon and Nigeria display exceptional athletic qualities and raw talent that that could see them make the podiun places, with silver booking Africa's all-important Olympic Qualifying Tournament ticket.

    Going into Afrobasket having defeated China and Russia on their way to victory at the 2011 Stankovic Cup, Angola, led by MVP Joaquim Gomes and his supporting cast of Carlos Morais and Felizardo Ambrosio, remain perennial favourites and are still very much the team to beat in African basketball.

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