ANG - Milton Barros talks Spain 2014, NBA and future of Angolan basketball

MAPUTO (AfroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Participating in 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup is not Angola's only ultimate goal. They want more.

Although Spain 2014 is still a year away, the Angolans decided their fourth consecutive appearance in FIBA's flagship event should be their best, according to Milton Barros, a regular shooting guard with the team.

When the tournament tips off on 30 August 2014, the African champions will aim a higher classification than the ninth-place accomplished in the 2006 Japan FIBA World Championship.

Barros argues they will only need the necessary means from the national federation and the Angolan government.

"I am sure we can reach or do better than we did in Japan if everything is in place," Barros told FIBA.com in Maputo, Mozambique where he watched his fellow country women successfully defend their AfroBasket Women title last week.

Angola's men made headlines in August after winning their 11th African Championship in 24 years. But beyond the celebrations they made it clear they wanted more than winning on African continent.

"It will be tough to compete against the world's best, but we are an experienced group of players capable of making Africa proud," said Barros.

After finishing runners-up up two years ago following an AfroBasket Final defeat to Tunisia, Angola re-established their traditional aggressive style of play and bounced back in Abidjan, regaining the continental crown and going unbeaten in seven games.

"This year we felt comfortable, motivated, highly-confident and, more importantly, the coach believed in us since Day 1 of our preparations,” the 29-year guard explained.

Angola went to Abidjan with nine players who had competed at the 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas, Venezuela.

But they added head coach Paulo Macedo, forward Reggie Moore, promising star Hermenegildo dos Santos and called up Member of Parliament Carlos Almeida.

"We had an excellent group of players, and Carlos (Almeida) played an outstanding role within the team. He was an excellent team member as well as captain," said Barros, who plays for Angolan powerhouse Inter de Luanda.

Barros averaged 6.4 points per game at AfroBasket 2013. It came as no surprise that his teammate Morais earned the plaudits, as he led the way in scoring with 15.9 points per game and was named the tournament's MVP.

As a result of his impressive play, Morais was invited to try out for the Toronto Raptors in the NBA pre-season, a dream Angolans had been waiting for years.

"May God give him strength, health, courage and confidence," Barros said of Morais.

"All of us back in Angola are cheering for him to stay in the NBA, especially because of his immense potential.

"We have been waiting for an Angolan in the NBA for so long, hopefully this will be our turn.

"Even though we have won 11 African championships, sometimes, we feel in the shadow of other Africans who play in the NBA.

"We only receive worldwide visibility when we play in the Olympics or World Championships.

"If Carlos does well, the world will pay more attention and see what Angolan basketball is made of."

Despite Angola's continental success, they need to revamp their roster which has five players - Joaquim Gomes, Olimpio Cipriano, Armando Costa, Moore and Almeida - over the age of 30.

But for Barros, Angola's basketball future has never been brighter.

Their U16 team beat Egypt in the Final of the African championship in Madagascar in July to qualify for the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship.

"We have never had such a tall team. They are talented and average 1.96m. They just need to carry on working," he said.

FIBA