ANG - Moreira may bring new faces into women’s NT

LUANDA (Olympics) - Afrobasket Women champions Angola could show up at the Olympics with some alterations to the squad that won the continental title last year in Mali.

National team coach Anibal Moreira is working with a 17-strong preliminary squad and 14 of those players will travel to the United States next month before moving on to China for a training camp.

Speaking to FIBA.com following the draw for the Olympics that was held in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, Moreira confirmed: “It is quite possible that I may make some adjustments in the team that won the Afrobasket.”

Angola were drawn in Group A with world and defending Olympic champions Team USA and China.

Three other teams in the pool will come from the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) for Women in Ankara, Turkey.

Moreira said of the Americans and Chinese: “These are two big teams. Nowadays, playing (Asian champions) China implies the same of level of difficulty of playing the USA team.

“I think we will wait to see what the three teams are in order to make a clear statement on our position in this group. For now, all I can say is that these two teams are difficult to play against.

“Our aim at this Olympics is to play as well as we can and reduce the gap in quality between the top teams and ourselves.”

With Angola having completed two weeks of their preparations, Moreira, a three-time Olympian (1992, 1996 and 2000) with the men’s side, says at least seven or eight players from last year’s gold-medal winning squad are expected to remain in the team.

“This is not the right time to say which players are joining the final group or which players are not,” he said.

“If I do, it may affect my players’ performances during the training camp.

“I just want them to practice with freely and well.”

Unlike on previous occasions, Moreira has widened his selection options to teams outside the capital Luanda, such as Juventude de Viana.

In the past, Luanda giants Primeiro de Angola and Inter Clube de Luanda were the main providers to the national team.

Angola women preliminary squad for 2012 Olympics: Fineza Eusébio, Felizarda Jorge, Nacissela Maurício, Ângela Cardoso, Madalena Felix, Catarina Camufal, Luzia Adão, Astride Vicente, Sónia Guadalupe, Lisa Tomás, Nadir Manuel, Nguendula Filipe, Angelina Ngolome, Mareciana Fernandes, Ana Gonçalves, Flora Muzangueno and Artemis Afonso.

FIBA