LANZAROTE (Spain) - A new challenge awaits Equatorial Guinea as they prepare to commence the journey to qualify for their first-ever major tournament when the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers tip off on February 21-23 in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Equatorial Guinea captain Richard Nguema along with his teammates are yearning for an opportunity to write history and lead their nation to the table of men in African basketball. 

The Spanish-born point guard, who featured for Real Madrid in the past decade, is looking to achieve big things with the nation of his parents origin and he believes the time is now. 

"OUR TARGET IN THIS WINDOW IS TO REGISTER GOOD RESULTS AND IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET A SLOT TO RWANDA. WE SHALL GO WITH MAXIMUM AMBITION AND HUMILITY. "- Nguema

After winning the Pre-Qualifiers, Equatorial Guinea earned a ticket to join Group C with Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea - a tough challenge that Nguema believes his teammates can handle and will be worthwhile. 

In an exclusive interview with FIBA.basketball, Nguema said, "We have a competitive team in which the team comes as the number one priority - which is the number one focus. There are three tickets and we want to finish among them."

Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire come into this competition as the top favorites to progress and qualify for the continental showpiece in Rwanda next year, however, Equatorial Guinea will be looking to crush the party and make a good case for themselves. 

"This is an attractive group in which people will enjoy the basketball. On one hand, you have Cameroon who are the hosts and will be a very tough opponent, Guinea is the team that is least tough but surely they will be an intense rival on both sides of the court. Cote d'Ivoire have big players who will use their wingspan to change shots on defense and finish in the paint," Nguema explained in depth.  

Oscar Ngomo Nfumu, who is based in Tarragona in Spain, will bring a lot of experience to the Equatorial Guinea team setup which will come in handy to matchup against their opponents. 

Nguema said, "Our target in this window is to register good results and if it is possible to get a slot to Rwanda. We shall go with maximum ambition and humility."

The top three teams from this Group C will qualify for the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 in Rwanda.

FIBA