Luanda: The minister of Youth and Sports, Rui Falco, has designated Angola's goal for Afrobasket 2025, to be played from the 12th to the 24th of this month in the provinces of Luanda and Namibe, as being the recuperation of the continental title lost in the 2015 edition. At the time, the national team was defeated in the final by Nigeria, 65-74, in the competition held in Tunisia.
According to Angola Press News Agency, Angola has won the competition 11 times but has not secured a title since 2013, when they claimed victory in Abidjan, C´te d´Ivoire, with a 57-40 win over Egypt. Speaking to the press on Wednesday, in Luanda, after a review meeting of the Executive Committee of the Local Organizing Committee of the Senior Men's African Basketball Championship (AFROLOC) held at the Kilamba pavilion, Rui Falco reaffirmed the widespread commitment to achieving the goal.
Rui Falco mentioned that the Angolan Basketball Federation (FAB) board received all the necessary support to ensure the best athletes made it to the National Team. He further stated that the fact that Angola is the host, with the support of its supporters, combined with the athletes' performance, gives the National Squad a greater chance of winning the competition.
In Afrobasket, the Angolan squad, who have 11 titles, are in Group C, where they will debut against Libya on the 12th at the Kilamba Multipurpose Pavilion, in the country's capital. Afterwards, the national team will head to Namibe to face Guinea on the 14th and South Sudan on the 16th at the Welwitschia Mirabilis Pavilion.
The athletes Gerson Gon§alves, Childe Dundo, Milton Valente, Jilson Bango, Aboubacar Gakou, Joo Fernandes, Eduardo Francisco, Germane Obama, Bruno Fernando, Kevin Kokila, Macachi Braz, Slvio Sousa, and Selton Miguel make up the National Team.