SEN - Badiane out but hopeful

SAINT QUENTIN (Afrobasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Senegal’s Malick Badiane is to undergo knee surgery later this week, putting in doubt his appearance at the 2013 Afrobasket.

The 28-year-old came off the bench on 9 November to spend six minutes on court before he damaged his right knee as his team Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball lost 83-77 at Fos-sur-Mer, in the eighth round of the Pro B, the French second tier.

The 2.11m center is expected to sit out up to six months, according to medical assessments.

However, Badiane remains optimistic.

“For now I am just focusing on my knee and I wish my teammates [at Saint Quentin] to have a good season,” he said to FIBA.com.

Missing next summer’s African flagship tournament - which will be staged in Abidjan, Ivory Coast - is something that Badiane would not contemplate as he is one of the most regular Senegal internationals.

“Everything depends on how quickly I will recover, and hopefully everything will go as planned,” he explained.

Badiane has not missed an international tournament for Senegal, since he made his debut with the men’s team at the 2005 Afrobasket.

Last year, Senegal had a promising Afrobasket start after wins over Morocco on Day 1, followed by a remarkable one over Angola the following day.

Against the odds, Senegal reached the Quarter-Finals but fell to Ivory Coast.

They recovered from that defeat to beat Morocco once again and cruise past the Central African Republic to finish fifth in the tournament.

Badiane, for his part, was the tournament's leading rebounder with 11 boards per game.

“We lacked international experience and there was not much players’ rotation. Only three or four players had international experience,” he pointed out.

While he is focused on recovering from his knee injury, it is his memories of matching up against China’s Yao Ming and USA’s Chris Bosh at the 2006 FIBA World Championship that makes him willing to help Senegal to make it to the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

“We have a chance to win next year's Afrobasket,” he said. “If you look around, our talent is well documented as our U18 teams are getting better and better.

“Any player wants to play at world tournaments.

“We want to go as far as possible, but there is always something happening with the organization that players have nothing to do with,” he pointed out.

According to Badinae, it is down to Senegal Basketball Federation - from whom he has not heard yet since he got injured - to put things in place.

“If things remain the same way, we are never going to make it," he pointed out.

“I have received some supporting phone calls from some Senegalese players based here in France.”

Badiane was drafted in 2003 by the NBA’s Houston Rockets, but has not made to the team.

Then in 2009 he signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in summer league, but was later released.

He recognizes that “sometimes making it to the NBA is down to hard work, but also luck and opportunity.”

Badiane's knack for rebounding was obvious early on: he led Senegal in that category in Japan six years ago and did it again at the 2007 Afrobasket.

It will be a major blow for Senegal, should Badiane miss next year’s Afrobasket.

FIBA