JOHANNESBURG (South Africa) - The seven-year wait for a senior South African national team to participate in FIBA continental qualifiers has ended.

On Friday, the South African men's team travelled to Maputo, Mozambique, to participate in a two-leg FIBA AfroBasket pre-qualifier against the host nation, tipping off on Friday, February 23 (9 pm Mozambican time). The following leg will take place on Saturday.

Lebesa Selepe is one of four players in the team who were part of the last South African team in continental competition (2017 AfroBasket co-hosted by Tunisia and Senegal).

Selepe, speaking to FIBA.basketball late Thursday night, felt "honoured" to wear the green and gold of his country again.

"Every time you get to represent your country, it's a privilege. It is one of the biggest callings in sport. You are representing over a million people in South Africa in basketball. So I am honoured to have gotten that call," said the 32-year-old. "It's certainly something I do not take for granted because it's been seven years of inactivity on an international level, so, we are excited and the guys are ready to go."

Apart from Selepe, the team will see the return of Pieter Prinsloo, Chris Gabriel and Lehlogonolo Tholo, who were all part of the 2017 AfroBasket squad.

There are also new faces in the form of Cape Town Tigers players Nkosinathi Sibanyoni (power forward) and Samkelo Cele (two-way player).
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Selepe spoke with a sense of elation following the selection of his Tigers teammates, whom he regards as two of the best players in the country.

"I say congratulations to them. They are good enough. That is the message I have for them. It is the same message Lindokuhle Sibankulu once gave me when I first got my call up," said the combo guard. "You do not need to say a lot more to guys like Samkelo and Nathi. They are, in my opinion, the best players in the country. They have played in the Road To BAL and the BAL, so they know the physicality required to compete on the continent.

"They have gone toe-to-toe against the best on the continent. I believe they will do well in those two games against Mozambique."

While the state of readiness of the team is in question, it is an issue that does not concern the former Jozi Nuggets player.

"We are as ready as can be. A little preparation is better than none at all. The team has had the opportunity to work on set plays and combinations," said Selepe. "What is important is to not dwell too much on what is said externally. We have to go out there and fight.

"The nice thing about Mozambique is that, it's always a dogfight. When it's a dogfight, the bigger dog is the one that always wins. So, we just have to go out there and have that dog in us," said Selepe.

It's a battle most in South African basketball will look forward to and hopefully a step in the right direction for the country.

FIBA