Morais back in action again
LUANDA (Banco BIC Basket/AfroBasket) - One of the toughest decision Carlos Morais has ever had to make was the one a couple of weeks before the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, when he announced his withdra
LUANDA (Banco BIC Basket/AfroBasket) - One of the toughest decision Carlos Morais has ever had to make was the one a couple of weeks before the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, when he announced his withdrawal from the national team due to a knee injury.
The Angolan ace pulled out of the group of players led by former coach Paulo Macedo, but at the time, he pledged to come back stronger than ever and compete to honor the country’s flag.
As a result of the injury, Morais, the AfroBasket 2013 MVP, had to also sit out the 2014 edition of the African Champions Cup in Tunis, Tunisia in December, where Recreativo do Libolo clinched their first-ever continental title.
However, he is back in action and on last week's evidence, he's in top form.
Morais sparked a star-studded Libolo to a 112-88 victory over Sporting de Benguela in the Angolan Banco BIC national league, proof that he is ready to battle for a place on the Angolan roster that will be led by new coach Moncho Lopez of Spain.
The 29-year-old guard scored 30 of his game-high 35 points from beyond the arc and added six assists for Libolo, who are bouncing back from a poor start to the season.
Morais has been hailed as one of the top athletes in Angola.
Carlos Morais named Angola's Sports Personality of the Year: http://t.co/NluxzxHjwt @FabAngola #Spain2014 pic.twitter.com/jUbRbcXXyG
— FIBA (@FIBA) January 11, 2014
In October 2013, he gained international attention after spending the pre-season with the Toronto Raptors, only to be let go before the regular season tipped off.
Guard Carlos Morais is representing Angola and looking to make an impression at #Raptors Training Camp: http://t.co/kr1PKvu0vH #RTZ
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) September 19, 2013
His return to action is good news for the reigning African champions Angola, who will try to defend their continental trophy when the AfroBasket 2015 takes place in Tunisia from 19 to 30 August.
The tournament is a qualifier for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, with the winner securing direct qualification for the Olympics. The second- and third-placed teams will have a claim berths to the 2016 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
If Angola qualify for the Rio Games, and Morais stays injury-free, he has realistic chances of playing in his second Olympics, after featuring at the Beijing Games.
In Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, Morais led the 11-time African champions in scoring at 15.9 points per game and headlined the All-Tournament Team along with Egypt's Assem Marei, Souleyman Diabate of Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal sharpshooter Maleye Ndoye and Morais' fellow countryman Eduardo Mingas.
While the Angolans opened Spain 2014 with a victory over Korea and closed with a famous triumph against Australia, the Africans conceded defeats to Slovenia, Lithuania and Mexico and did not advance beyond the Group Stage for the first time in four editions of the tournament.
FIBA