LUANDA (AfroBasket Women 2015) - Few know better than coach Nasir Sale what Mozambique needs to do to remain among the best African women national teams.

Although the runners-up at AfroBasket Women 2013 and Sale - the man who played a key role in Mozambique entering the international basketball scene in recent years - are yet to renew their agreement, he says the country needs to maintain or improve their preparation plans for AfroBasket Women 2015 which will take place in Yaounde, Cameroon (24 September-3 October).

The tournament is a qualifier for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

As a result of its participation at the 2014 FIBA Women's World Championship, the southern African nation climbed 11 places in the FIBA bwin World Ranking Women and gained admiration not only on the African continent, but also from teams from around the world, despite their three losses in as many games.

“It is wrong to give Mozambique only two weeks of preparations," Sale said to FIBA.com.

"Two or three weeks [of] preparation is good enough for European teams as well as the USA because they compete all year long. We don't."

"We accomplished good things," he recalled, "now, it is time to continue our work.

We have to be more ambitious. We can’t rest on our laurels. That's not good enough. - Sale

"Cameroon 2015 will not be an easy competition. I have been working in Angola in the past few months and I see how determined they are to stay on top.

"Of course Cameroon, Mali, Senegal and Nigeria are very good teams, but Mozambique must be able to compete with those teams.

"Every coach would love to participate in an Olympic Games, and I am not different," he said.

Coach Sale is on his first full-time professional assignment overseas and continues to make an impact on women's basketball on the African continent.

After winning three African Champions Cup for Women (ACCW) with Mozambique sides Desportivo de Maputo (2007 and 2008) and Liga Desportiva (2012), he was handed the reins of the four-time ACCW champions Inter Clube de Luanda earlier this year.

Over the weekend, the 48-year-old coach helped his star-studded side to beat city and continental rivals Primeiro D'Agosto in three games in a best-of-five provincial championship.

With a team that includes Italee Lucas, Pauline Akonga as well as Angolan internationals Nadir Manuel, Ngiendula Filipe and Elsa Eduardo, Sale has a simple reason as to what has made his chemistry with Inter Clube work so well.

"They have won the ACCW four times. I have won three," he said.

FIBA