PRETORIA (South Africa) - The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the African nations that has provided the basketball world with talented players. Surprisingly, however, it has never won the FIBA AfroBasket.
However, for forward Joel Ntabwe, who made his AfroBasket debut four years ago, this year's AfroBasket in Angola (August 12-24) could change the status quo.
I think we are going to shock a lot of people - Joel Ntambwe
In an interview with FIBA.Basketball at the recently concluded Basketball Africa League (BAL) in South Africa, Ntambwe expressed confidence.
He insisted that winning the FIBA Africa flagship tournament was within reach for the Leopards.
Also, who could doubt his words, considering how the nation from the heart of Africa powered through the AfroBasket qualifiers and ended with an impressive 5-1 record?
"The goal is to try and win everything," the 2.03m (6ft 8in) forward pointed out.
"This year, we will have a pretty good team and coach (Michel Perrin). So we will try and win the tournament and prove people wrong," said Ntambwe, who last played for his country in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers.
The 2017 AfroBasket quarterfinalists recently announced a preliminary roster full of top talent ahead of the tournament, which will take place in neighboring Angola for the first time since 2007.
Golden State Warriors forward and 2022 NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga, who is Ntambwe's younger brother, headlines that list.
Ntambwe, whose name is also on the list, was not sure whether players like Kuminga, Oscar Tshiebwe, who plays for the Utah Jazz, and former NBA players Christian Enyanga and Emmanuel Mundiay would make the trip to Angola.
"A lot of people are interested to know if those guys will be part of the team. All I can say is if their names are on the list, they probably touched base with them. I think some of those guys are interested in coming. So, the final 12 will be interesting," he said.
The Congolese are in Group A with the 2021 AfroBasket runners-up, Côte d'Ivoire; Cape Verde, which finished fourth in the same tournament four years ago; and Rwanda.
"I think they are all great teams. We played against Cote d'Ivoire in a friendly in Tunisia back in 2022. Rwanda is great too," said Ntambwe. "Cape Verde... I just played with Kriol Star, and I will be playing against guys who were my teammates in that [BAL] team. So it will be fun to see."
Ntambwe was also complimentary of the players who secured qualification for the AfroBasket.
On its way to topping their qualification group and making a seventh AfroBasket appearance, the DRC beat a South Sudan team that had been the talk of the town for qualifying for the 2023 World Cup and last year's Olympic Games.
"They had some great guys. They did a tremendous job. In this upcoming AfroBasket, with the team that will be named, I think we are going to shock a lot of people," concluded Ntambwe.
FIBA