PARIS (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - For Senegal to succeed at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain this summer, they are going to need to disconnect from the past and adopt a belief approach, says Maleye Ndoye.

Characteristically, Senegal is a very physical team able to dominate the paint area and make the most of their of their athleticism.

Ndoye says the team will face difficulties when they take on their Group B opponents Philippines, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Greece and Croatia, but they will "need to believe that they are up to the challenge".

The 33-year-old sharpshooter has been tipped to represent his native country in FIBA's flagship tournament after leading Senegal in scoring - averaging 10 points per game - at AfroBasket 2013 where they finished third.

He insists that being an athletic team is good, but not enough to win basketball games.

Senegal and Nigeria were the tallest teams at AfroBasket last summer, but neither reached the Final.

For Ndoye, the criticism that Senegal usually pays the price for lacking experienced playmakers is history, although he admits it is imperative to have good players at every position to win championships.

"We are big, we can jump, block shots, but we need more than that," he told FIBA.com.

"I am confident that the high number of Senegalese playmakers like Louis Adams and others in US colleges will soon make an impact for our national team.

"We just need to believe and learn from past mistakes," said the 2.03m small forward.

Ndoye has not missed an international tournament since the AfroBasket 2005.

If he is selected to play in Spain this summer, it will be his second time playing in FIBA's flagship event after he led Senegal in Japan in 2006, averaging 14.2 points per game.

From that tournament he recalls that playing against the likes of Bostjan Nachbar (Slovenia), Carlos Arroyo (Puerto Rico), Marco Belinelli (Italy), Yao Ming (China), or the USA team, has marked his professional career forever.

Ndoye, who plays for Paris-Levallois in France top flight's, is now focused on his club and hoping to stay healthy.

Having learned from past mistakes, he knows what it means to embrace continuity, have the team preparations run on time, be able to count on the best players and give coaching staff both time and the right work conditions.

"Even though most Angolans play in their national championship, they succeed internationally because they usually hold training camps with sufficient time. And they play tournaments against the best teams on regular basis, which makes them believe that they can beat those big teams."

After leading Senegal to a silver medal at AfroBasket 2005, head coach Abdou Ndiaye was replaced by his assistant Moustapha "Tapha" Gaye a few weeks before the 2006 FIBA World Championship.

For now Sheikh Sarr, who guided Senegal last summer, is expected to continue at the helm of the national team.

One of those good players is Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Gorgui Dieng. Ndoye says of the 2.11m big man: "If he is available and selected, he can offer some strength to the team.

"The new Senegal Basketball Committee seems to be really engaged with the national team, which is quite encouraging.

"On court, we'll try to make our brothers and sisters happy back in Senegal."

The new era of Senegal basketball "is all about belief and preparation", Ndoye argues.

FIBA