ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Playing in the FIBA Basketball World Cup is a surreal feeling and Senegal’s captain Maleye Ndoye and point guard Xane D’Almeida know all about it.

The duo were kingpins for the “Teranga Lions” five years ago when they stunned pundits to sail through to the Round 16 losing to the host Spain.

REPRESENTING SENEGAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING HUGE FOR ME AND I KNOW THERE WILL BE A PARTY IN THE COUNTRY ONCE WE QUALIFY. WE WANT TO DO THIS FOR ALL THE KIDS WHO WATCH US HOPING TO BE PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS.- Xane Dalmeida

The pair is ardent about having a second stint in the world’s flagship tournament yet a victory is the difference between their wishes and reality.

For both men, 2019 realistically is their last shot at a World Cup participation.

At 38, skipper Maleye Ndoye has been able to blend playing basketball and punditry but the 2.03 m (6ft8in) small forward knows just how key it is for him to bow out of the playing stage with another world cup experience.

“We have been working for a year to get to this stage and we’re staying focused to wrap up on a bang and be part of the China showdown. I’ve spent more than 10 years playing top level basketball and the World Cup is a startling experience," he said to FIBA.basketball.

“We have young players in the team and it’s even more important for them to play in the World Cup because some may be discovered there and others may get better teams as well as good contracts just being part of the competition." 

Re-enacting their exploit of five years ago is top on Xane D’almeida’s to-do list.

The 36-year-old always has a broad grin whenever he reminisces about the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain during which he averaged 7.8 points, 2.7 rebounds ranking second in assists with 5.3.

Playing for Charlevilles Mezieres in France's Nationale Masculine 1, D’Almeida hopes the “Teranga Lions” can wrap up the qualifiers on a high with a ticket to China.

“We’ve shown some good stuff during the qualifiers and we know what going to the World Cup will mean for our country,” he recalled.

“Representing Senegal has always been something huge for me and I know there will be a party in the country once we qualify. We want to do this for all the kids who watch us hoping to become professional basketball players and show them that everything is possible with hard work.”

A fifth World Cup ticket for the basketball-mad West African nation will have an enormous impact on the growth of the sport.

“Sports in Senegal especially basketball is something very important. Our goal is to get back to the global scene and make our people happy," Dalmeida explained, adding: “We are a basketball nation and this is an avenue for us to further ascertain our legacy as one of the best on the continent because we know the impact it’ll have."

Gorgui Dieng, Xane Dalmeida, Maleye Ndoye and Mouhammad Faye are seen here during a 2014 FIBA World Cup game

He continued: “Right now there are a lot of basketball projects in Africa. FIBA and NBA announced the creation of a basketball league on the continent and the younger generation in Senegal can only benefit from these events if we stay on the top and participate in important competitions like the World Cup."

Senegal hit the ground running in the last round qualifiers with a clash against Rwanda and a victory for the five-time African champions will lock in their World Cup spot.

FIBA