MAHE, Seychelles (FIBA AfroLeague 2019) – Madagascar’s COSPN have become the latest team to qualify for the FIBA AfroLeague 2019 after beating rivals Premium Cobras.

Things have been tough for COSPN, as they have registered a 67-66 loss against the same Cobras side in the first round of the FIBA Africa Zone 7 qualifier.

However, on Tuesday evening, things went rather well for the visitors, who clinched a 86-70 victory to make it through to the newly-launched FIBA Africa competition, set to start in January 2019.

In the middle of all those celebrations and congratulations, Livio Rocheteau Ratianarivo claimed the MVP trophy.

“Things have been tough for us, as we lost to the Premium Cobras in round 1. But we had a good rest day and we put it to profit,” Ratianarivo said afterwards. 

This short defeat helped them get back and focus more on the final victory, adds Ratianarivo. “We used that loss and transformed it into motivation. We knew we had enough of it to overcome them in front of their home crowd.”

The Malagasy side will meet the continent’s finest teams for the first time in their history. But they will go and it it their best shot.

Never before have they competed at this level. But this might be a good run for them.

“We are going to be the underdogs, the total outsiders, right? This is what gives us motivation to work harder. And who knows what upset we could cause. There is no miracle in sports, particularly in basketball. Only hard work pays off”, acknowledges Ratianarivo, who entered the FIBA Africa 3x3 Cup in Lomé, Togo, earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Beau Vallon Heats’ Jimmy Williams has highlighted the scoreboard, taking home the best scorer’s trophy. 

So far clubs qualified include both Al Ahly and Smouha fromEgypt,  both Primeiro D'Agosto and Petro de Luanda of Angola, Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique), and Zone 3's trio Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), Civil Defenders (Nigeria), and Elan Sportif (Benin), and Zone 4's DR Congo's clubs ASB Mazembe and ASB Terreur.

The inaugural FIBA AfroLeague will take place from January 11 - April 21, 2019.

FIBA