MOZ - A long way to go for Ana Flavia

MAPUTO (FIBA World Championship for Women) - The need to revamp Mozambique women's national team has been topic of conversation for some time, and coach Nasir Sale seems to be listening to observers.

Sale has recently called up some young players, though Ana Flavia Azinheira considers she still has a lot to offer.

Ana Flavia - as she is known in Mozambican circles - turns 37 this Saturday (8 February) and became the team's most senior player since Clarisse Machanguana retired last October a few days before turning 40.

Judging by her playing time and the energy she provides the team, age is really just a number for the 1.80m forward.

Last month, she helped her country win the gold medal at the 2014 Lusophony Games in Goa, India.

The tournament served as a preparation for the upcoming FIBA World Championship for Women, where Mozambique will be making their debut in September in Turkey.

Although Ana Flavia had retired from the national team in 2008, she returned after realising that her country still needed her services and has not missed an international competition since.

"Physically I feel great, and I am fully committed to the national team," she said to FIBA.com.

"I know I have some responsibilities within the group and I am hoping to show younger players how to avoid panicking in crucial moments of the game."

Ana Flavia, who splits her time between the basketball courts and her career as a veterinarian, says that when her retirement time comes, she'll stay at home without making any public announcement.

Last month, Mozambique defeated Angola's U23 national team in the final of the Portuguese-speaking countries sporting event, but Ana Flavia says they still cannot evaluate the team's improvements since they finished runners-up at AfroBasket Women 2013, staged in the country's capital of Maputo.

"It is always good to win, but the tournament was not as competitive as we expected, but we'll always make the most of having the team together," she explained.

"We are not going to Turkey to make up numbers because we are competitors, and we are hoping to play well and dignify Mozambique and ourselves."

Ana Flavia, who played her college basketball at St Mary's University in Texas, has a message for young student athletes willing to join US colleges.

"They can make the most of playing basketball there, but they must take their studies very seriously," she warned.

FIBA