Dinis put in charge of Angola for Belgrade OQT

LUANDA (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Carlos Dinis is the new head coach of Angola, the country’s Basketball Federation (FAB) confirmed on Monday.

Dinis, who is at the helm of local club ASA in the Angola BIC Basket League, will lead the 11-time African champions at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade.

The six-team OQT will run from 4-9 July. Angola will face hosts Serbia and Puerto Rico in Group A and should they finish in the top two, they would advance to a Semi-Final to take on one of the first two sides from a Group B that consists of Japan, the Czech Republic and Latvia.

The Semi-Final winners will then square off and the winner will claim a berth for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Dinis has replaced Spaniard Moncho Lopez, who led Angola to a runners-up finish at AfroBasket 2015 in Tunisia. 

The OQT will be Dinis's first experience with Angola's senior men's national team. He has vast experience with the country's youth side and last September, he guided the country to first-ever title run at the 2015 All-African Games in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.

Talking to FIBA.com, FAB President Paulo Madeira said: "After deliberation, our board of technical directors decided to select Carlos because he shares our basketball vision. Given his history with young teams, we thought he was the man for the job." 

Half of our team in the OQT will most likely be formed by U18 players. We'll keep the core of the national team, but we look to give younger players a chance. They are eager for international competition. - Madeira 

"One of our goals in the OQT is to start our preparation for the AfroBasket 2017," Madeira said.

Angola (ANG)

By the time the OQT tips off, half of the Angolan players that competed in Tunisia last summer will be over the age of 30.

FIBA