Julio-Chitunda-Column
29/09/2014
Julio Chitunda's African Message
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Ball movement, extra passes and open shots

SHEFFIELD (Julio Chitunda's African Message) - The basketball shot clock ticked faster for the two African teams at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women, leaving us wondering why Angola and Mozambique could not cope with the competitiveness level of their opponents.

Even though some might already know the answer, in this column I'll be talking about the frequently asked question why African teams tend to lose more games in the world stage than others.

Some might blame the poor investment in basketball throughout the continent, others may suggest that passionate leadership is highly need for the benefit of the game, and I agree with both, but I just can’t overlook what players do on court.

I am writing this column before Angola face the USA in the final game of Group D and before Mozambique squared off against hosts Turkey in Group B.

From what I saw over the past few days in Turkey I can only assume that coaches and players might be facing some sort of misunderstanding issues and none is listening one another.

There have been two defeats in as many games for both African teams who competed in two Turkish cities - Istanbul and Ankara - and they committed similar errors.

So, if I were a player/coach of one of these teams and was asked which lessons I would have taken out of the FIBA World Championship and why we lost games, I would have looked at the numbers and said the following:
- Over-dribbling makes the game of basketball more difficult to play and should be avoided completely
- The team game should prevail over individualism
- Be sure to play tough defense
- Play in transition and create an extra pass for the open shot.

I would have also highlight the need to learn how to shoot the ball.

Angola and Mozambique averaged 21 turnovers in the first two games of the tournament. This happens because they tend to play one-on-one instead of moving the ball to create an open shot.

How many times have they shared the ball? Angola have only averaged six assists per game, and Mozambique showed they moved the ball a bit better with 11 assists per game.

However, one-on-one play resulted in the Mozambicans having their shots blocked on average nine times over the course of the two games, with Angola being swatted three times per contest. That happened as a result of grabbing the ball and looking at the basket, but not seeing how teammates are moving.  

Although Mozambique's Leia Dongue had some interesting showings in Group A - which caused some positive reviews and prompted observers to consider her for top leagues around the world - she has to lose the habit of receiving a pass or grabbing a rebound (offensive or defensively) and putting the ball on floor. This would never work against good defensive teams.

If Dongue, who plays for Angolan side Primeiro D'Agosto, is to take her game to the next level, then she should share the ball more, improve her footwork, and more importantly, improve her left side drive to the basket.

Stats don't lie and the China-Angola game showed it when Dongue's teammate at D'Agosto, Nacissela Mauricio scored 18 of Angola's 39 points. The Angolans only had  five assists in a game they previously considered to be their best chance to win a game in the world championship. 

Meanwhile, some players and coaches usually say that world stage competition serves to prepare for the following African Championships (Men or Women). It might sound odd, but that's how some define objectives for their basketball programmes.

There is nothing wrong with that answer, but as years have passed by, the game has become faster, more articulate, more enjoyable to watch. Some teams continue to make the same errors over and over again, which means something is not right and competing against the best in the world is not paying off.

The African champions as well as the Mozambicans did little to win games in the Turkey 2014 and the shot clock ticked faster for both countries because they lacked ball movement, extra pass and open shots.

Julio Chitunda

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.

Julio Chitunda

Julio Chitunda

Julio Chitunda, a University of Sheffield alumni and former semi-professional player, has worked for a number of Portuguese media outlets as well as The Press Association and covered international basketball for over a decade. Through his column, he offers an insight into basketball on the world's second biggest continent.