BAMAKO (2016 FIBA U17 World Championship) - Abdoul Karim Coulibaly cannot wait to play at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship and show the world what Mali basketball is all about and make his country proud.

"We are going to try to make our fellow citizens proud of us," Coulibaly said ahead of the country's debut in the U17 Worlds. "It's a great opportunity for all of us to show how basketball has been improving in Mali."

That is exactly the case as Mali has achieved some impressive results at youth levels in African basketball. They finished second at the FIBA Africa U16 Championship in 2009 and 2015 and came in third in 2011. The Malians have also reached the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Africa U18 Championship three times since 2010.

"We have a lot of potential if you look at college guys like Cheick Diallo [Kansas] and Kassoum Yakwe [St. John's] as well as high school players like Mamadou Doucoure [in New York], who are ranked among the best in their age or class in the United States," Coulibaly said. "They have been helping a lot and are examples of the improvement of Mali's basketball."

Coulibaly noted how special Diallo is to him.

"Cheick Diallo is about to get to the NBA and he is like a big brother for me. We want to give our best to help Mali basketball improve," he explained.

This U17 Mali team went through a major learning experience last summer in losing the Final of the FIBA Africa U16 Championship. Coulibaly and Co. fought back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game with nine seconds left, only to watch Egypt win it in the dying moments - on Mali's home court in Bamako.

"We fought hard but we fell short," Coulibaly recalled. "It was very disappointing but after a good night's sleep, we said to each other that we needed to move on from that game and think about the next competitions. Our mental strength is great, and we know that our future is bright."

It’s a great group (Group B with Argentina, Lithuania and Spain) but we are not afraid of anyone. We are going to play hard and play at our best level against those teams. We are going to be ready from day one. - Coulibaly

The 2000-born forward knows Mali will face a major test at the U17 Worlds, where they were drawn into Group B with Argentina, Lithuania and hosts Spain.

"It's a great group but we are not afraid of anyone," he said. "We are going to play hard and play at our best level against those teams. We are going to be ready from day one."

Zaragoza has been on the minds of Coulibaly and his teammates for a while now.

"We have been thinking about the competition since the end of the FIBA Africa U16 Championship last year. We wish the U17 Worlds could start tomorrow," said the 16-year-old.

Coulibaly expects to once again take a leadership role, especially after he moved to the United States to play at St. Vincent Pallotti high school in Laurel, Maryland.

"I feel happy and grateful to be in the United States, having the opportunity to work in the best basketball country in the world," he said. "Playing there helped my development a lot. I also know that I have to be a leader and a good example to my teammates in the national team."

Coulibaly was especially excited about getting back together with his teammates from last summer.

"We have a great team, a good coaching staff and we are united. We love basketball, we love the game and we love to play together. It’s a great competition and a way for us to show the world what we can do and how talented we are as players and as a team."

FIBA