SEN - Gaye looks to restore self-belief with Senegal women

DAKAR (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women) - Recently appointed coach Moustapha Gaye’s mission is to guide the Senegal women at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women where the African country will look to seal a spot at the Beijing Games.

Less than a week after being handed the reins to the national team, the former Senegal international is knows what his biggest challenge is to make believers out of his new players who are still reeling from a 63-56 defeat at home to Mali in the final of the FIBA Africa Championship last September.

"I have the obligation to restore my players’ confidence," he said to Basketball World News.

"No one likes to lose a tournament as hosts. I have not met my players yet, but I accept that we have to raise the psychological aspect of the group."

Senegal will battle for a place in Beijing at the qualifying tournament in Madrid in June. Five places for the Olympics are still up for grabs and Gaye’s team is in Group A with Japan and Latvia.

"It will be difficult, but not impossible," the 45-year-old said.

"I don’t know too much about Latvia’s game, but Japan are difficult opponents."

Gaye is well known in Senegal basketball circles and not just because of his time as a player.

He also coached the men’s national team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.

Gaye only took over that team shortly before the start of the Japan tournament following a shake-up with the team, and as some of the leading players from the country’s silver-medal finish at the FIBA Africa Championship stayed away, like tournament MVP Boniface N’Dong, the Senegalese struggled in Sapporo and lost all five of their games.

Gaye expects better results for the women’s team.

"We have around 22 players to work with," he said. "I will start my assignment next week when I meet the local players and then next month we will gather, in France, with our internationals who play abroad.

"We will have an intense preparation before the Pre-Olympic tournament.

"Everything we want is to improve our international image."

Gaye admits that he has to alter his approach with respect to his approach now that he is in charge of the women and not men.

"The only difference is psychological," he said. "Basketball has its own universal language.

Julio Chitunda
FIBA