Angola's rising star Dizeko ready to fight for podium finish at Women's AfroBasket 2021
SION (Switzerland) - Alexia Dizeko was huge in Angola youth teams' success for recent years, but can she become as important for the former African champions senior team?
SION (Switzerland) - Alexia Dizeko was huge for Angola youth teams' success in recent years, but can she become as important for the former African champions senior team?
She hopes her game can speak for herself if she's selected again.
By finishing fifth at the 2019 FIBA Women's AfroBasket in Dakar, the Angolans fell one place short of automatic qualification for this year's biennial African Championship, and, as a result, they appear among a number of teams that need to play a Qualifiers to reach the Final Round.
"WE ARE DEFINITELY LOOKING TO IMPROVE FROM OUR FIFTH-PLACE FINISH FROM TWO YEARS AGO. AND CLINCHING A THIRD-PLACE THIS YEAR WOULD BE AN ACHIEVEMENT."
But for Dizeko, who turned 20 on March 12th, helping her country secure a place at the twelve-team Women's AfroBasket ranks among her top priority.
The last time Dizeko sported the Angolan outfit goes back to 2019 in Dakar, Senegal.
It was a special occasion for the teenager who averaged 7.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in her debut with the Angolan senior team.
The Lusophones failed to reach the podium for the second straight time after winning the previous two editions of the FIBA Women's AfroBasket.
"It's been eight years now since Angola won the Women's AfroBasket. We want to make it to the top this time," the 1.83m (6ft) shooting guard said to FIBA.basketball.
"I don't know how it will turn out. But I'd really like to make it to the next Women's AfroBasket," she added.
Dizeko has started to build up her curriculum vitae for the Angolan squad back in 2017, at the FIBA U16 Women's African Championship.
A year later, she powered Angola to a podium spot at the FIBA U18 Women's African Championship while she herself was part of the All-Star team of the tournament.
Alexia Dizeko featured in the All-Star Five of the FIBA U18 Women's African Championship 2018
With her talent and leadership widely known, then Angola head coach Apolinario Paquete called her for a stint with the senior team that would prove somewhat fruitful in 2019.
In fact, for her first-ever game at senior level, she signed the leaderboard with a game-high 17 points and added three rebounds to her account in a 71-63 defeat to Mali.
Dizeko feels that Angola have a date with destiny, as they are on the outlook for their past African glory.
Her personal objectives do not matter much, the Switzerland-born admits. "I have set some personal goals. But I don't want to think about them. It's all about helping the team finishing on the podium. We are definitely looking to improve from our Fifth-Place finish from two years ago. And clinching a Third-Place this year would be an achievement," she concludes.
FIBA