PRAIA (Cape Verde) - Cape Verdeans like to describe themselves as a small country in size but gigantic in the hearts of its people, and a look through their history of the last two decades attests to their continued growth in African basketball.
A team that can never be underestimated, Cape Verde has caused some upsets in recent times, but it was their qualification for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup that confirmed how good they are at basketball.
Interestingly enough, competing at the 2025 AfroBasket Angola, where they held most of their training camp, will be like playing at home, considering that Cape Verdeans amount for the largest migrant group in the Southern African country.
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Road to Angola 2025
After winning all of their Group B qualifier games in Monastir, Tunisia, in February 2024, Cape Verde faced a different reality in the second round in Tripoli earlier this year, where they were unable to maintain their winning momentum.
Losses to Nigeria, Uganda, and Libya saw Cape Verde close their qualifiers campaign with a 3-3 record. They finished second in the group, behind Libya (4-2) and ahead of Nigeria (3–3) and Uganda (2–4).
AfroBasket history
The islanders made their AfroBasket debut in 1997 in neighboring Senegal, finishing seventh in the nine-team tournament. They returned to the competition two years later in Angola.
In their third appearance, Cape Verde took African basketball by storm, stunning a star-studded Nigeria team 62-53 in the quarterfinals.
Although they fell to the Angolan hosts in the semifinals (93-60), their second loss to Angola in the tournament, Cape Verde regrouped in time to cause another upset by beating Egypt 53-51 in the third-place game.
Memories of the 2007 AfroBasket remain vivid among the Cape Verdean community. It was their first and only podium finish in the tournament's history.
Coaching staff
Angolan Emanuel Trovoada was at the helm of Cape Verde when they finished third in the 2007 AfroBasket tournament.
Trovoada has had an on-and-off relationship with the team, but he has permanently led the "Blue Sharks" since 2017.
Under his leadership, Cape Verde finished fourth in the 2021 AfroBasket and became the smallest country to qualify for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where they recorded their first-ever tournament win.
Trovoada was part of the Angolan coaching staff that led the country to a second-place finish in Tunisia in 2015.
Talking to FIBA.basketball during the 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers, Trovoada shed light on his coaching career, saying: “I started contemplating a coaching career in the early 1990s. At the time, in Figueira da Foz (Portugal), former coach Jorge Araujo was looking for a candidate to coach the youth team of Naval. As I didn’t have the means to become a top player, I embraced coaching as a way of dedicating my passion for the game of basketball. Being the only African-born head coach at the 2023 World Cup was a moment of great pride.”
Key Players
Ivan Almeida has been vital to the islanders during major tournaments and qualifiers, rarely missing a duty with the national team.
However, the impact of the Cap Verdeans on the big stage cannot be fully told without mentioning Valter Edy Tavares.
The Real Madrid center is a terrifying defender who can also contribute greatly on offense.
At 2.21m (7ft 2in), Tavares is expected to lead Cape Verde through the 2025 AfroBasket tournament.
Outlook
The Cape Verdeans aren't shy about revealing their hope to improve upon their third-place finish in Angola. To do so, they will need massive support from Cape Verdeans traveling to the tournament and from Cape Verdeans living in the host country.
It won't be easy, especially since they'll be competing against Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, and Rwanda in the group phase.
As a relatively veteran team, it remains to be seen how they can capitalize on their experience and turn it into a success in Angola.
FIBA