''We will make our fans happy in the next window,'' says Mali's Kante

BORDJ BOU ARRERIDJ (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers) – Disappointed hard drumming and chanting Mali fans who left the Palais des Sports Salamatou Maiga in Bamako at the end of the first-leg of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers in Group B can now heave a sigh of relief.

Relief is coming their way by way of reassurances from Mali's point guard Mahamadou Kante.

As hosts, Mali came up with a 1-2 mark, and the 6ft 3in (1.90m), who hit a three points shot in the last seconds against Uganda (79-76) insists that what happened in Bamako will not repeat itself.

"Having lost our first game to Rwanda, it was sad for us because we never expected it to happen on our own home court. We had high hopes of getting off on a good start but our balls were just not dropping in the bucket the way we had hoped," Kante told FIBA.basketball.

"But in sports, such things happen and we learnt the hard way placing third with 4 points at the end of the first-leg behind Nigeria and Uganda. However, our fans can be assured that things will be a lot different in June-July when we play in the third window."

Kante recalled how difficult it was for Mali to trail against Uganda for most of their clash until he hit the three-pointer that turned their fortunes around in the dying seconds.

"AS A PLAYER, MAKING IT TO THE WORLD CUP WOULD BE A DREAM COME TRUE AND I WANT TO WORK WITH MY TEAMMATES TO ENSURE THAT WE KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE" - Kante

"The pressure was on us with Uganda leading but we listened to the coach who maintained that we should not panic but keep up the fight and it worked out for us," the 26-year-old said. "By the next window, I can assure you that Malians will see us as a better team ready to go all the way."

Kante, a native of Bamako who plies his trade with Algerian side OSB Bordj Bou Arreridj, insisted that Mali are not giving up hope of being one of the three teams to move in to the next stage of the Qualifiers.

"As a player, making it to the World Cup would be a dream come true and I want to work with my teammates to ensure that we keep the dream alive," he explained. "We know at the back of our minds that we disappointed our fans and a lot of others but while we would not want to be boastful, I can tell them that we will return to Mali as heroes after getting a ticket to the next round."

He conceded there were challenges coordinating well on the court as some key players from the team that was at FIBA AfroBasket 2017 were not present.

"This team is a new one with most players making their first appearance and understanding each other was a bit complicated. All that will be taken care off as we get more time to work together as a team. I can give you my word that we'll be ready and rearing to go," he concluded.

FIBA