CPV - Mascarenhas launches basketball academy

PRAIA - Rodrigo Mascarenhas retired from Cape Verde's national team following AfroBasket 2013, but he very much remains committed to the growth of basketball in the archipelago.

To that end, he will be unveiling a basketball academy on 10 February named after him. Its initial aim will be to promote and develop basketball among disadvantaged children in the islands of Santo Antao and Sao Vicente.

Mascarenhas expects to expand to the rest of the country over the next few years.

The project is to be coordinated by former international Antonio Moreira, who coached Cape Verde at AfroBasket Women 2013, and it is aimed at youths between the ages of eight and 18.

The initiative, Mascarenhas told local press, aims to "show everyone there is a sport called basketball" although other sports, including volleyball and handball, could also be included in the project.

Mascarenhas gained international acclamation after a successful playing career with Portuguese side Futebol Clube do Porto, as well as Angolan side Primeiro D'Agosto, a team he helped to win three African Clubs Cup titles.

Despite standing only 1.98m, the former captain of the islanders became known for his rebounding ability, and playing discipline.

At last summer's continental championship in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, the 33-year-old averaged 6.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as Cape Verde finished sixth.

In a promotional video to introduce the Academy "Escola de Basketball Rodrigo Mascarenhas", he explains that he first "discovered a basketball in 1993, before he developed the game’s basic fundamentals over the years."

Earlier this year, Mascarenhas was appointed as the assistant head coach of Cape Verde's men's national team currently competing at 2014 Lusophone Games, in Goa, India.

"It is time to give back what basketball has given me in past years," he explained.

FIBA