MOZ - Surprise factor suits Mozambique

ANKARA (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women) - Deolinda Ngulela stepped off the practice court in Ankara declaring her Mozambique team-mates are excited to be heading into the unknown when they tip off their Olympic Qualifying Tournament Women campaign.

There’s little doubt Group C is a mystery to even the most die-hard women’s basketball enthusiasts but the unpredictability of facing Korea and Croatia suits the guard and Mozambique just fine.

She said, “The best element of this tournament for us is that the teams in our group really don’t know too much about each other. This opens the door for many surprises but like in most games of basketball at this level, it is probably going to be the team who makes the least mistakes that will be the most successful.

“We are really motivated because it is such a high level competition and I think it can be a good tournament for us.”

Having finished in fifth spot at the FIBA Africa Championship in Bamako last year, Mozambique must really make a big stride if they want to realise their Olympic ambitions. Unsurprisingly Ngulela insisted they just need to learn from that valuable experience and make sure they get the basics right.

She explained, “We don’t have height and this is something we just have to deal with but I think last summer gave us a clue as to what else we have to work on – starting with controlling our emotions.

“We have to focus on just being strong and not turning the ball over too much.

“I think playing at this kind of level for us is all about attitude and intelligence on the court” continued Nguela.

“We have to really play smart if we want to be successful.”

Mozambique opens up their Group C campaign against Croatia and willthen face Korea on Tuesday.

FIBA