PRAIA (Afrobasket for Women/FIBA World Championship for Women) - Alexia Barros, a standout at the Community College of Rhode Island in the USA, is on the radar of Cape Verde national team for this summer's Afrobasket Women to be held in Mozambique.

Barros is one the five players head coach Antonio Moreira will be recruiting when he travels stateside in two weeks time.

Although Barros was born in the USA, she is eligible for Cape Verde citizenship due to both her parents being from the archipelago off the coast of west Africa.

If successful in his recruiting trip, Moreira, a former Cape Verde international, will blend "some home-based talented players" as he puts it.

"I am looking to put together a good and competitive team," Moreira said to FIBA.com.

"I have already spoken to some of the players, but I don't know about their availability because of their academic arrangements," he explained.

Cape Verde last played a competitive tournament at the 2009 Lusophone Games held in Lisbon.

At the time, Moreira served as assistant coach, but he has been involved with the team ever since, until he was officially confirmed as head coach late last year.

Moreira is currently running a national team training camp with home-based players, from whom he hopes to select "the best to join the foreign-based players with more competitiveness experience."

Cape Verde returns to Afrobasket for the first time since 2007, and, Moreira will only define objectives once their roster is complete.

Including in Moreira's shopping list are Lorreta Rocha (Southern New Hampshire University), Teresa Pina (University of Massachusetts Boston), Vanessa Conceicao (Bridgewater State College) and Jade Leitao, who was the team's youngest player and second leading scorer, behind Crispina Correia at the 2007 Afrobasket.

From Portugal, Moreira wants to convince Djenifer Monteiro and Yamili Cruz (Sporting Clube de Portugal) and Aura Cardoso (Vagos).

The islanders count only two Afrobasket appearances in their history (2005 and 2007), but this does not stop them from aiming big.

"With the players I want to select, I am sure we won't be an easy target," the 36-year-old coach said.

Cape Verde will represent Africa zone 2 in the 12-team Mozambique showdown from 20 to 29 September.

The winners and runners-up of that tournament will qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Championship to be held in Turkey.

Moreira - who helped Cape Verde accomplish their biggest basketball success when they won bronze at the 2007 Afrobasket in Angola - says there is nothing preventing his country to feature among Africa's best teams.

FIBA