LUANDA (FIBA AfroBasket 2017) – Angolan basketball protégé Bruno Fernandes is extremely excited at the possibility of playing at the upcoming FIBA AfroBasket 2017 that will be hosted in his home city.

With experience from the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship for Men and 2016 FIBA Africa U18 Championship, Fernando as he is known around certain circles of the media, wants to replicate his performances at senior team level. 

The 2.07m forward, who has come through the ranks as a member of the Angola U16 and U18 sides, believes it is about time he makes a move to the next level. 

By doing this, he will have achieved a childhood dream to be like some big Angolan names that he admires including Joaquim Brandao Gomes, Carlos Morais, Yanick Moreira, Hermenegildo Santos, Edson Ndoniema, Miguel Lutonda and Jean Jacques Conceicao. 

"It would be awesome. As a player, growing up I have always dreamed about being able to achieve the same stuff I have seen other players achieving. While I was a little dude and watching other grown men doing it for our nation," Fernandes told FIBA.com. 

"I think that if I reach that level of competition, it would only make me strive for greatness even more and keep proving myself and my capabilities to do something special and be part of the nation’s history which is one of my biggest goals." - Fernandes

"As far as being like them, I would say I could use their examples and try to be better. The reason why I admire those players is simply because I think that they are high character players and even better people that know how to carry themselves on and off the court and not just that but also how they serve as such a positive example and inspiration for the younger generation."

The FIBA AfroBasket 2017 is fast approaching and Fernandes is laying out plans of being fit and ready if handed the golden opportunity to make it to Africa's premier basketball competition. 

"As a player, I always want to expect more whatever it is that I have done in the past while I was playing for the national team does not matter what competition it is."

"It means that it is all about winning and helping others succeed. That is how I am going to be able to succeed. So I think that if I get selected again to do it for the nation, I will always try to do better than I did before and just stay focused and do the little things."

Fernandes believes that this year, Angola will be looking to return to the helm of African basketball after they were dethroned by Nigeria, a new look side that is taking the continent by storm. 

"I think that if I reach that level of competition, it would only make me strive for greatness even more and keep proving myself and my capabilities to do something special and be part of the nation’s history which is one of my biggest goals." 

"And this is sure one of the few things that drives me to reach my full potential on and off the court, being able to do some special and be apart of such a historical moment for the country and more so for my family," he concluded.

FIBA