ANG - Fortes takes aim

LUANDA (AfroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Roberto Fortes experienced the high of representing Angola at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

He and his teammates celebrated as they advanced from the Preliminary Round, only to then fall in a heavy defeat to the United States, the eventual winners of the competition.

After failing to make the cut the last two years, the 28-year-old guard is keeping his fingers crossed that new coach Paulo Macedo includes him in the final roster for AfroBasket 2013 in Cote d'Ivoire.

"For the last five years that I've been playing in Angola, I've always tried to give my best in order to deserve the trust of the national coaches," said Fortes.

"Now, more than ever, I have to work hard because when an athlete reaches 28 years old, he should be at the peak of his career. I want to be in the national team for a long time."

Macedo has been putting the players through their paces at training camps in Bie, Benguela and Luanda and Fortes says things have gone well.

The focus has been on getting into top physical shape.

"We started to work with the ball practically this week," Fortes said.

"The first two weeks were more physical work and thank God the group has been putting a lot of effort and I have to emphasize the excellent work done by our physical trainer. Our recovery has been fantastic."

The stakes will be high as always in Cote d'Ivoire for Angola, who came up short of a seventh straight AfroBasket title two years ago in Madagascar when falling to Tunisia in the Final.

The top three sides at this year's event will clinch spots at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

At the AfroBasket, Angola will compete in Group C against the Central African Republic, Mozambique and Cape Verde.

FIBA