LUANDA (Angola) - For years, Angola dominated African basketball, cruising to a record eleven titles in just over three decades, but things are changing.

The Angolans last won a continental title in 2013, when they dispatched Egypt in the Final of the African Championship in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.

Two years later, the Angolans returned to the Final, but the unthinkable happened when they fell to Nigeria, a team they had previously defeated eight times in as many encounters. 

If questions remained answered when Angola registered their worst result in the history of the competition when they finished seventh at FIBA AfroBasket 2017, even more so, when the Angolans looked helpless in their first clash against Senegal in the First Round of Group B of the AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers last November.

"OUR STYLE OF PLAY WAS FOUNDED ON AGGRESSIVE DEFENSE, FAST-BREAK AND THREE-POINT SHOOTING, BUT IN RECENT TIMES WE STOPPED PLAYING LIKE THAT, WE ARE PLAYING A SLOW-PACED STYLE OF PLAY, WHICH IS PERFECT FOR TEAMS LIKE SENEGAL."Paulo Macedo

And although Senegal beat Angola 66-51, the story of the game unearthed some worrying concerns for the Angolans not only because Senegal led by as many as 24 points at some point, but also because the eleven-time African champions couldn't really cope with Senegal's pace and aggressiveness.

Historically, Senegal and Angola have offered some of the most intriguing rivalries in African basketball landscape.

After winning four straight African championships dating back to 1989, Angola stumbled in Dakar. The Senegalese, playing on home soil, denied Angola in the Semi-Finals of the 1997 edition of the AfroBasket as they clinched their last continental trophy.

Two years later, however, Angola bounced back perfectly on home soil thanks to wins over South Africa, Mozambique, Nigeria (twice), Tunisia, Cote d'Ivoire and Mali to win their fifth FIBA AfroBasket title.

In nine encounters from 1992 to 2005, Angola outplayed Senegal 8-1.

However, recent history shows that Senegal edge Angola 4-0 in head-to-head (in official FIBA competitions) dating back to 2011. 

Just take a look at the latest clashes between Senegal and Angola.

AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers, November 2020, Kigali, Rwanda

Quarter-Finals AfroBasket 2017, Rades, Tunisia

 
Group Phase, AfroBasket 2015, Rades, Tunisia

 
In the aftermath of their latest meeting in Kigali last November, Senegal head coach Boniface Ndong explained why they got away with a huge win against a team that prevented him from lifting the AfroBasket as a player in 2005.

"Maybe we are not the best shooters in the world, but we can defend and we can rebound," Ndong, who instilled an aggressive defensive plan, noted.  

And with the Second Round of this year's African Qualifiers coming up later this month, it's inevitable to ask whether or not the Angolans can ever beat Senegal again.

Talking to FIBA.basketball, former Angolan international Paulo Macedo, who coached his country to their last AfroBasket title in 2013, said: "Our style of play has changed in recent years, we lost our basketball identity, and this has benefited teams like Senegal and Nigeria. Those teams usually bring taller players, some of relatively good quality, which is an advantage to them compared to our short traditional lineup."

Paulo Macedo led Angola to their last African title eight years ago

"Our style of play was founded on aggressive defense, fast-breaks and three-point shooting, but in recent times we stopped playing like that, we are playing a slow-paced style of play, which is perfect for teams like Senegal.

"The good thing is, there is a generational transition in process, we have some terrific young players coming up, hopefully, we're going to be back where we belong in the near future," Macedo noted.

The race for the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 resumes from February 17-21 in Monastir and Yaounde with Angola playing their last three Group B games in the Cameroonian capital against Senegal, Mozambique and Kenya.

FIBA