BLOIS (France) - Charles Abouo knows what he talks about when he urges his Cote d'Ivoire teammates to use a strong start and even a stronger finish in Group Phase of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China.

For Abouo, who made his World Cup appearance almost nine years ago, that's the only way for the 'Elephants' to survive a tough Group A, which consists of hosts China, Venezuela and Poland.

"WE WANT TO GET OUT OF THE POOL PLAY AND ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN EVERYTHING HAPPENS AND GO DEEPER IN THE TOURNAMENT. THAT'S OUR MAIN FOCUS"- Abouo

Back in 2010, Abouo and Co opened their Group Phase campaign with a loss against hosts Turkey. A day later, an 83-73 defeat against China crushed their expectations for a first win, and when they realised that enough was enough, they pushed Russia to the limit on Day 3 - in what was one of Cote d'Ivoire's best displays in the tournament - yet they registered their third defeat (72-66) in as many games. A 97-60 defeat against Greece followed, but beating Puerto Rico in the final day of Group C became a do-or-die scenario for the West Africans who still had a chance to move on.

Charles-Noe Abouo is seen during a game World Cup 2010 game against Puerto Rico

"I have never won a game that felt like a loss," Abouo said in the aftermath of Cote d'Ivoire's 88-79 win over Puerto Rico as they needed a 12-point win to advance to the Second Round.

Fast forward to today, and the former Brigham Young University standout who is on the books of Blois Basket in France's PRO B, believes they can do better this time around.

"THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THIS QUALIFICATION IS TO BE ABLE TO SHOW PEOPLE WHO YOU ARE. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE A BIT OF EXPOSURE TO THE COUNTRY AND ALSO SHOW THAT THERE ARE SOME GOOD BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN COTE D'IVOIRE"

- Abouo

Talking to FIBA.basketball, the 29-year-old forward noted: "Everyone is gonna say ‘we want to go as far as we can’. Obviously that is a thing for everybody but, clearly, we want to get out of the pool play and advance to the Second Round because that’s when everything happens and go deeper in the tournament. That’s our main focus. We weren’t able to do that last time around. The tournament actuality starts at the pool play."

And to achieve that, Abouo and five others -who featured at Turkey 2010 and are poised to return this summer- will look to share their World Cup experience with newcomers Vafessa Fofana, Bryan Pamba and Jean-Francois Kebe.

"We have a very resilient group of players, despite all the situations we have been in, we have a lot of trust and camaraderie in our locker room," the 1.96m (6ft5in) noted.

"We stay together no matter the ups and downs. It’s a group that really trusts each other, we believe in each other. We are very close. That always helps you produce on the court. This group is hungry to win. Our team in 2010 had a couple of names - Pape-Philipe Amagou on the page - that people were familiar with.

"We might have had a little bit more talent, but I think this group has a better chemistry and better unity and - sometimes - I think that can take you a lot farther. At this point we have a lot of guys who are at the later stages of their careers, who are veterans to understand the game. We have definitely a better leadership, a better maturity this time around, and I am excited for the opportunity to play with this team."

Similarly to what happened in 2010 in the Turkish capital of Ankara, Cote d'Ivoire will open their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 against the host country in Beijing.

"Our chances are pretty good. We are in good shape, we have a really good opportunity to do well," a confident Abouo pointed out. "Last time we were in a tough group even with one victory we were still one three-pointer away from going to the Second Round.

"Starting out strong is a great aspect of it. This year is interesting because China and Venezuela are very tough opponents, we have experienced playing against the host team and very good teams with the same type of styles (Russia and Puerto Rico, that could be similar to style of plays of Venezuela and Poland).

"I am looking forward just to being there, enjoy the [basketball] environment that doesn’t happen every four years - in a country that loves basketball. It feels different than club and collegiate basketball. I am excited to be in that environment. We are going to make the most of it and represent our country well."

 Asked what lessons has 20-year-old Abouo taken from his World Cup debut nine years ago, he replied: "Having that experience early just showed me how basketball is played at the highest level. I was able to play against a lot of different players.

"To see how skilled, efficient they were, and how they play the game, that gave me something to work towards and to emulate. I am still growing as a basketball player but that World Cup experience really showed me what it takes to be at the high level.

"Playing against Dimitrios Diamantidis, Hedo Turkoglu, Timofey Mozgov, Carlos Arroyo and guys like that, it was a great experience for me. Hopefully, this time around I can be one of those players that people look at that is good in a way that is at the high level."

Even though Abouo sat out the last window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, he followed his teammates' effort to come out with three important victories that ensured their fourth World Cup ticket in the history of the competition. 

Charles-Noe Abouo averaged 11 points and five rebounds in nine World Cup Qualifiers games

The impact of qualifying for the 32-nation World Cup, Abouo recalled, is huge. "The most important thing about this qualification is to be able to show people who you are. We have an opportunity to give a bit of exposure to the country and also shows that there are some good basketball players in Cote d'Ivoire.

"Even for people back home they can see that we do have some potential in the sport, and it can encourage kids to play the game. It’s gonna be great marketing, a great tool to put Cote d'Ivoire basketball on the international basketball map, especially if we do a good job and advance to the next round."

Cote d'Ivoire will open their FIBA Basketball World Cup quest against China on Saturday, August 31.

FIBA