ANG - Macedo eyes continuity at helm of Angola

LUANDA (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - The Angolan Basketball Federation (FAB) have established a pre-agreement with Paulo Macedo to re-appoint him as head coach of the men's national team for the 2014 FIBA Basketball Cup.

A former Angolan international who featured at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics as well as the 1990 World Championship in Argentina, Macedo replaced another former international, Jose Carlos Guimaraes, last May.

Macedo led Angola to the title at AfroBasket 2013 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire to qualify for Spain 2014.

The former playmaker - who served as an assistant to Mario Palma and Luis Magalhaes when they were at the helm of Angola's men’s national team - has become a revelation in the past few years.

Macedo, who is in charge of local club Primeiro D'Agosto in Angola's BAI Basket League, has helped the club win a number of domestic trophies.

In December, he sparked D'Agosto to win their eighth African Clubs Cup in Sousse, Tunisia, after beating hosts Etoile Sportive du Sahel.

For FAB Chairman Paulo Madeira, there is no reason to look elsewhere to find a coach that will lead Angola as they make their fourth consecutive appearance in FIBA's flagship event.

"We had a board meeting a few weeks ago and we thought that Paulo has been doing a good job. So we established a pre-agreement of continuity," Madeira told FIBA.com.

"Paulo (Macedo) will be attending the Official Draw of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Barcelona (on Monday 3 February), and we are confident he might continue with the team.

"He has done well with the men's national team. We won the African Championship and he is a championship type of coach.

"We are expecting to sign a contract with coach Macedo after the end of the BAI Basket League season in May, when we hope to start the preparations for the World Cup," Madeira explained.

If Macedo agrees terms with FAB, he would become the second Angolan to coach his country at FIBA's flagship event in the past eight years.

Alberto Carvalho helped Angola accomplish a ninth-place finish in Japan in 2006 - the country's best result in the tournament's history.

FIBA