ANG - Mpaka, the piece Angola needed

LUANDA (FIBA World Championship for Women) - Clarisse Mpaka made her debut for Angola at AfroBasket Women 2013 and is now one of the frontrunners tipped to represent the country at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women.

Last September in Maputo, Mozambique, where Angola won their second consecutive African title, Mpaka - who spent most of her life living and playing in France - returned to her native country and played a key role for the Angolans, averaging six points per game in 22 minutes per game.

It did not take long for Angolan giants Inter Clube de Luanda to sign the 29-year-old who then helped her new club win their third African Clubs Cup Women title in four years in Meknes, Morocco last month.

Angola arrived in Maputo with almost the same team that competed at the London Games, although Mpaka and Whitney Miguel were the only new faces.

Miguel, on her debut for the national team, imposed her physical presence in the paint, while Mpaka became the element head coach Anibal Moreira needed to conduct Angola's offensive game.

"Both players had a tremendous contribution for our team and I hope to keep working with them in the national team," Moreira told FIBA.com.

"Clarisse is the kind of skillful player that we needed to step up in difficult moments of the tournament. It is no accidental that she became a starter in the team."

Although the 1.85m forward Miguel returned to Europe to play for French side Leon Tregor Basket of the Ligue Feminine 2, Moreira says he will keep monitoring the 22-year-old because of her big progression margin.

"These two players' contributions made us, the coaching staff and the Angola Basketball Federation, keep on scouting players with Angolan roots based overseas," he explained.

Angola and Mozambique will represent Africa at the FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey next year (27 September-5 October). It will be Mozambique's debut in the leading women's national team competition.

FIBA