DAKAR (Senegal) – Thierno Niang knows the hype and razzmatazz that come with playing at the World Cup and the Senegalese guard can’t wait for the first-ever 32-nation FIBA Basketball World Cup billed for China to get into action.

Niang has first-hand World Cup experience after suiting up for Senegal in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 in Spain. He was an integral part of the "Lions of Teranga" team that recently punched their ticket for the China showdown.

Senegal closed their African Qualifiers campaign with a 84-63 win over continental rivals Nigeria and as results improved to 10-2 mark. In the process, the 28-year- old averaged 3.4 points, 1 rebound and 1.4 assists.

"2014 was a great experience. I’ve known most of the older players all my life. We worked extremely hard for a year and we really wanted to qualify for our fifth World Cup. We’re happy things turned out well for us,” he told FIBA.basketball

The Dakar native will have no break as he continues gearing up for the World Cup, hoping to make Senegal’s roster for the planetary event.

"From now till August, the goal is to get better. Work hard on several aspects of my game, get faster and just be in great shape. I want to be part of the team” the 1.85 m (6ft1) the As Douanes player told fiba.basketball 

"MY FIRST CALL UP WITH THE SENIOR MEN'S TEAM WAS IN 2010. SO I’VE BEEN WITH THE TEAM FOR CLOSE TO 10 YEARS. THAT’S WHY FOR ME IT'LL MEAN A LOT TO GO TO CHINA AND REPRESENT MY COUNTRY HONOURABLY."- Niang

 Senegal stand as one of the most regular African countries at world stage competitions with four FIBA Basketball World Cup appearances (1978, 1998, 2006 and 2014).

And one of their most important wins in the tournament history came five years ago when they saw off  Croatia 77-75 in the Group Phase in Sevilla before reaching the Round of 16 where they lost to hosts Spain in the capital Madrid.

But this time round Niang is confident they can achieve a better performance.

"As a team, the ambition is to play better and get to the Quarter-Finals. I think this is something we can do. We have great individuals on the team including Gorgui Dieng, Xane d’Almeida, Mohammed Faye or Youssoupha Ndoye. These are experienced players and now we have some good young players who can ball. If we combine well, we can make a great impression in China," he pointed out.

He added:"Our head coach Abdou Ndiaye is a rigourous and good coach. He gave me my first call up to the national team and we know his philosophy. He always wants to win, and this is the mentality with which we approach every game”

 Niang admits he’s grown and has garnered enough experience since 2014. Playing in a second World Cup will be remarkable for the former University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee man who only started playing basketball aged 12.

"My older brother Mbaye Niang used to play basketball in the US and whenever I travelled over for holidays, he’ll always take me along to some of his games. He taught me how to shoot and love the game. Once I returned to Senegal, I decided to take up the sport"

"In 2008, I went to SEED Academy in Senegal and I was blessed to be part of the 2008 Basketball without Borders (BWB) camp where I was voted the MVP. When I returned from the competition, I was called up to the U18’s team of Senegal.

My first call up with the senior men’s team was in 2010. So I’ve been with the team for close to 10 years. That’s why for me it’ll mean a lot to go to China and represent my country honourably," Niang concluded

FIBA