Waiting for the breakthrough

Since 1989, Angola have won 10 of the last 11 FIBA Africa Championships and it is fair to say that they reign supreme on their continent. However, they are still waiting for the breakthrough on world level. In Turkey, coach Luis Magalhäes’s men will look to bring the waiting to an end.

1997 was the last time the Angolans failed to win gold at the FIBA Africa Championship, while their last defeat dates back to 2001, when they lost in the opening round to Algeria, but then bounced back to take revenge in the final.

However, their continental dominance has not carried over to global competitions as they have been unable to make their mark in either the Olympic Games or the FIBA World Championships, failing to finish inside the top 10 in both competitions.

Angola appeared at the summer games five times in a row, dating back to Barcelona in 1992 when they achieved their best result of 10th. Since then they have finished 11th and 12th the last three times.

Their record at the FIBA World Championship reads a bit better and they accomplished their best result to date in 2006, coming in 10th in Japan. Finishing third in their group, Angola made it through to the eight-finals where they lost to face France in a very low scoring game (68-62).

In 2008, Angola had a disappointing Olympic tournament as they lost all five of their games to finish 12th and last.

They bounced back from this disappointment by cruising to victory in last year’s FIBA Africa Championship in Tripoli, Libya, which also earned them qualification for Turkey. An 82-72 win against Ivory Coast in the final secured yet another gold and made it 35 wins in a row in the tournament.

Drawn in a tough Group A in Kayseri that includes Argentina, Australia, Germany, Jordan and Serbia, Angola will need to be at their very best to secure a top four finish and qualify for the knock-out stages in Istanbul.

A lot will depend on the experience of their key players such as Joaquim Gomes, Olimpia Ciprano and Eduardo Mingas.

The biggest surprise was the inclusion on the team of Miguel Lutonda, arguably one of the best guards ever coming from Africa. He actually retired from international play in 2007 and supported his team in Beijing from the stands.

At 39 years of age, he will certainly add a ton of experience that Angola can count on. Whether this can translate into performance remains to be seen.