MOZ - The African rising giant

MAPUTO (Afrobasket for Women/FIBA World Championship for Women) - Mozambique's women’s national team did not need a podium finish at the 2011 Afrobasket for Women in Mali in order to go from an average team to one of Africa’s strongest contenders in just one year, especially after their presence at the 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament Women (OQTW).

Their next and fiercest challenge will come next year, when they host the Afrobasket, a qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women.

Only the winners and runners-up of that African competition will qualify to the 16-team world showdown.

Mozambique's national team tactician Nasir Sale wants his team to be among the two African nations to qualify for 2014, after the country bolstered their chances of becoming an African powerhouse in the wake of Mozambican club Liga Desportiva de Maputo winning the African Clubs Championship Women (ACCW) last week in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

“Winning the ACCW meets our ambition to dominate the game in Africa,” Sale told FIBA.com.

He went on to say that this win may be a good indication of what they want to do in the future, but that in order to secure a place at the FIBA World Championship they “have to be realistic and do much more than just define objectives.”

“We will need to follow a good planning, including a good organisation as well the support from all country,” explained the three-time ACCW winner.

For Mozambique, all changes began when they finished fifth at last year’s Afrobasket.

The winners of that tournament, Angola, qualified directly to the London Olympics.

Finishing second and third meant booking places for the 2012 OQTW in Ankara, Turkey, but silver medallists Senegal withdrew, leaving bronze medallists Mali and fourth-placed Nigeria to represent Africa in the tournament where three Olympic berths were up for grabs.

However, Nigeria followed Senegal’s lead and pulled out.

Fifth place Mozambique, who have shown so much appetite to develop the game in the country, accepted the invitation to compete at the OQTW, but first made some adjustments.

The Mozambique Basketball Federation (MBF) signed local head coach Sale, replacing his fellow countryman Carlos Niquice and they brought into the fold 39-year-old former WNBA player Clarisse Machanguana to represent the country after a five-year absence.

In Ankara, Mozambique lost both games to Croatia and Korea, but they picked a lot of positives and don’t seem interested in looking back.

Liga Desportiva de Maputo - led by Sale and consisting of a large number of Mozambique's national team players - relegated Angolan, Ivorian and Nigerian teams to secondary positions at the ACCW.

As for world stage competition, Sale admits that the OQTW “was without a doubt the highest moment of Mozambique women basketball."

“It was a remarkable moment for us and we benefited from it," he explained.

“Competing at such a high level is everything we want as it makes us improve some aspect of our game, mainly because we face more experienced teams who are used to a different level of competition."

As for his more recent ACCW title - he won two previously with former club Desportiva de Maputo - Sale described it as a unique moment because his new club was launched only a year ago and they have already won a Maputo city tournament, the national championship and they finished top of the ACCW zone 6 qualifier tournament.

“I just want congratulate my players, the team’s staff and my assistant coaches," he said.

“Aya Traore [Senegal international] and Clarisse Machanguana have bolstered our chances.

“We have a humble group of players who work hard, to whom I used to describe as warriors.

“Players such as Deolinda Ngulela, Ingvild Mucauro, Jazz Covington, Anabela Cossa, Odelia Mafanela, Valerdina Manhonga, Filomena Micato, Rute Muianga, Catia Halar and Leia Dongue have given a fantastic flavour to this competition,” Sale said.

Asked about the importance of his latest success, Sale said it won’t make him big-headed, instead it will make him improve his knowledge of the game: “I would change these three African titles for more head coaching training and qualifications.”

Mozambique's women have won two continental silvers (1986 and 2003) and three bronze (1990, 1993 and 2005).

FIBA