MAPUTO (FIBA AfroBasket 2017) - Not many players can proudly say they have represented their countries in six consecutive continental championships.

But Mozambique's Octavio Magolico, if he remains injury-free, will play in his seventh FIBA AfroBasket in a row this summer (August 19-30).

"If we start our preparation earlier, I am sure we'll do a lot better than we did in recent years because most of our players are now experienced in AfroBasket competition."  - Magolico

And, as the 32-year-old center prepares to bring his international career to a close following FIBA's flagship event, he looks to help Mozambique make history.

"I will be a very happy man if we finish in the top six of FIBA AfroBasket," he said to FIBA.com.

Dating back to 2005, when at the age of 20 Magolico made his debut with the men's team in Algeria, Mozambique haven't been able to do better than a 10th-place finish, despite showing some competitiveness.

"We have great players, but our basketball falls behind in term of investments," the 2.00m Ferroviario da Beira center noted. "I feel more confident playing for my national team now. My biggest sadness is that we have never reached the Quarter-Finals during my time with the national team.

Speaking about this summer's FIBA AfroBasket, Magolico explained: "If we start our preparation earlier, I am sure we'll do a lot better than we did in recent years because most of our players are now experienced in AfroBasket competition."

Last month, Mozambique beat Zimbabwe in a two-game FIBA Africa Zone 6 Qualifier, which ensured them a place in the Final Round. That success, Magolico says, didn't come cheap. 

"We stepped on the floor knowing that Zimbabwe are a good team. So we were determined to prevent Zimbabwe from playing a fast-paced game. We disrupted them defensively, we had a terrific three-point shooting percentage and they struggled to adjust offensively," Magolico explained.

A player with a long and storied national team career, Magolico pointed to former FIBA AfroBasket MVP Miguel Lutonda of Angola and Tunisia's Radhouane Slimane as examples of African basketball finesse.

"You can't find in Africa cold-blooded point guards like Lutonda anymore. He was a true leader on the floor," he recalled. "Slimane's long-range shooting makes him one of the best shooter I have ever played against."

Fourteen national teams have booked their places for FIBA AfroBasket 2017, including Nigeria, the Republic of Congo, Morocco, Tunisia, Mali, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Egypt, Uganda, Angola, South Africa and Mozambique.

The two remaining berths will be allocated via a wild card process to complete the 16-team FIBA AfroBasket line-up.

FIBA