TORRELAVEGA (Spain) - Being the lowest ranked team in the entire FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers process is fuelling Equatorial Guinea to prove doubters wrong.

So much so that Equatorial Guinean forward Walter Jr. Cabral revealed to FIBA.basketball that the team can't wait to resume their Group C qualifiers campaign next month in Yaounde, in the very city where they began their AfroBasket journey in February 2020.

"PEOPLE BACK HOME ARE EXCITED ABOUT OUR QUALIFIERS CAMPAIGN, THEY ARE SUPPORTIVE AND WE CAN'T LET THEM DOWN."
- Walter Jr. Cabral

The goal, Cabral says, is to build on their 82-75 win over Guinea, which leaves Equatorial Guinea in third place of the group. 

"The whole team is really motivated to get started and try to make history for our country. We have never been in this position before, and this gives us extra motivation," said Cabral, who led his team with team-highs 18 points and seven rebounds per game. 

Going up against Group C leaders Cote d'Ivoire has proven challenging because "They were the toughest team to play against in the first round," Cabral added.

"Cameroon is a good team but Cote d'Ivoire is for sure the toughest team in our group because they have two good players for each position, they have a deep bench, and are well-coached."

According to the latest FIBA World Ranking presented by Nike, updated last month, Equatorial Guinea rank No.26 in Africa (134 in the world), no other FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers team ranks as low.

"We are mentally prepared and the team is ready to prove that we are as good as any other team," Cabral pointed out.

"We missed some important pieces in February, which proved tough for us, but if all goes according to plan, we are going to have a few new players to fill in the gaps next month," the 25-year-old noted. 

In order to qualify to their first-ever African Championship, Equatorial Guinea need to finish third in their group or, in the last resort, become the best fourth-placed team, depending on the outcome of Group D, which includes AfroBasket 2021 hosts Rwanda. 

"We are going to be ready and better prepared this time around," the 6ft 6in (1.99m) explained.

The man who currently plays for Grupo Alegra Cantabria in Spain's LEB Plata, continued: "We are one of the few Equatorial Guinea national teams in activity. People back home are really excited about our Qualifiers campaign, they are supportive, we can't let them down. We created a team Whatsup group, where we keep each other motivated.

"We really can't wait to get started."

Cabral went on saying that back in February they didn't really know much about what to expect. "Now we know what qualifying for the AfroBasket requires."

FIBA