FIBA Basketball

    CAF - Meet Johan Grebongo

    ABIDJAN (AfroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - It's no secret that Central African Republic (CAF) face a tough challenge at AfroBasket 2013 in Abidjan as they are one 16 teams competing for the three places on offer for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. But for one of their only 10 players who traveled to Cote d'Ivoire's capital, the future may be ...

    ABIDJAN (AfroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - It's no secret that Central African Republic (CAF) face a tough challenge at AfroBasket 2013 in Abidjan as they are one 16 teams competing for the three places on offer for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

    But for one of their only 10 players who traveled to Cote d'Ivoire's capital, the future may be bright if he keeps work as hard as he recently showed.

    Meet Johan Grebongo: A 19-year-old forward who plays for Tondema, in the CAF's capital city of Bangui.

    In CAF's opening game on Tuesday, a 70-66 defeat to Mozambique, Grebongo stood out with 18 points and seven rebounds.

    FIBA.com caught up with the 2.00m forward who showed enormous personality for a player of his age.

    FIBA.com: CAF did not bring names such as Romain Sato or James Mays to the AfroBasket. What are your first impressions of the tournament?
    Grebongo: I am not surprised as I always thought it was going to be hard for us.

    FIBA.com: Against Mozambique, you played 36 minutes, ran up and down on floor and shot 67 percent. How did this happen?
    Grebongo: I just want to keep working hard and improve. I am pleased with my performance, but at same time, I am disappointed because we lost our opening game. But I am already looking forward to our next game.

    FIBA.com: Can you explain what went wrong against Mozambique?
    Grebongo: If we play together, I am sure we can go far in this tournament. I don't think we played team game against Mozambique. All we need to do is to stay together. We know it won't be easy to play against teams like Angola with few players, but we are here to compete. Having 10 or 12 players means the same if we help each other.

    FIBA.com: This is your first AfroBasket. Can you share with us thoughts about the tournament?
    Grebongo: It is an honour to take part in Africa's biggest basketball competition, especially because Africa's finest players are competing here in Abidjan. This is a good challenge for me to prove myself because I hope to make the most of my basketball ability and, if possible, to get a scholarship and carry on playing.

    CAF face Cape Verde on Thursday in Group C.

    For full and in-depth coverage of AfroBasket 2013, go to the official website http://abidjan2013.fibaafrica.com/.

    FIBA