2023 FIBA World Cup Preview: Angola's Tough Road Ahead

2023 FIBA World Cup Preview: Angola's Tough Road Ahead

#TheBlackAntelopes, the affectionate nickname of the #Angolan national basketball team, head to Manila, in Philippines, aiming at proving that the times of Carlos Morais, Olimpio Cipriano and Leonel Paulo among others are behind them. In short, Angola are transitioning towards a new generation of players that could be fun to watch. We said fun here because Angola have never been short of talent. Logical, you’d say, when one knows that the Black Antelopes are 11-time FIBA #AfroBasket Winners.

But lately, they have been on a downward slope, only comforted with the fact that the new generation is on the rise. One of their flag-bearers is the 1.67 m (5’5 ft) tall point guard, who suits up for Petro de Luanda.

Dundao has built himself quite a reputation as a floor general and if he can ever be as efficient on the world stage as he is on the African stage, then, Angola are out to make some noise.

But apart from Dundao, coach Josep "Pep" Claros can also rely on a quartet led by the point guard, with Gerson Domingos, Teotonio Do and Gerson Goncalves, who played in all the qualifying games.

Coach Claros will also count on #NBA big man Bruno Fernando, who suited up for three games in the August 2022 window. Teaming up with Jilson Bango and returning Silvio Sousa would create a three-headed monster in the middle and would cause some noise.

But Angola will face no debutants at the World Cup. Pooled in Group A alongside hosts Philippines, pugnacious Dominican Republic and Italy, they wont have time to sit down and ponder.

They will face Italy and will know from the start whether they will or won’t survive the Group Phase. On the bright side of things, Angola have a rather good defensive record, having limited their opponents to 60.5 points per game. So, maybe this could be the key to their success.

However, one thing might hinder their chances of making it to the next round : experience, or lack thereof. Question is: does coach Claros have a B plan up his sleeve should his youngsters encounter stage fright?

But looking back at their Qualifiers’ run, let’s say that they know how to fulfill their contracts. Though they lost to Cote d’Ivoire in their campaign opener (57-56), they bounced back with style and claimed a 75-59 win over Guinea and a 30-point win over Central African Republic.

They started the second window on the losing side, once again falling to Cote d’Ivoire (77-75), but winning their next encounters against Central African Republic and Guinea with comfortable margins.

Uganda, Cape Verde and Nigeria then experienced defeats at the hands of Angola in the third window, and they finished the job in the February 2023 window in Luanda, claiming most important wins over Uganda, Cape Verde and Nigeria.

Let’s just say that there’s more than meets the eye to this team, and that they could spring up an ace from their sleeves. If that happens, then Angola would cause quite a surprise at the 2023 World Cup.

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[Image/Photography Credit: FIBA]