Parfait Bitee will not feel his basketball career has been fulfilled until Cameroon national team maximises its abundant talent.
Since Cameroon returned to the AfroBasket in 2007 following a 15-year absence, they have become a powerhouse in African basketball.
However, their second-place finish in Angola that year has been their only appearance on the podium in the last four editions of Africa's biggest basketball event.
Now that he is part of Cameroon's 26-player preliminary squad for AfroBasket 2015, Bitee believes this is a superb opportunity to live his basketball dream.
"Since I began this journey playing for the national team, the two goals that I always had were to win an AfroBasket and play in the Olympic games," he said to FIBA.com.
Back in 2007, Bitee helped Cameroon win five games in a row, but they were denied in the Final against hosts Angola, who qualified directly for the 2008 Beijing Games.
Despite the setback, Cameroon had a second chance to qualify for the Olympics, but defeats to Croatia and Puerto Rico at the 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Athens postponed Bitee's Olympic aspirations.
This time around, Cameroon will face Egypt, Gabon and Mali in Group-C of the continental championship taking place in Nabeul and Tunis, Tunisia (19-30 August), on the road to next year's Olympics.
They will need to win the tournament to gain direct qualification for the Rio Games. A second or third-place finish will see them return to the OQT.
Looking at Cameroon's preliminary squad, it certainly seems to gather the best talents the country has to offer.
"Yes, it appears to be a deep team and I really hope it is as promising as its appearance," Bitee noted.
He has three AfroBasket appearances under his belt (2007, 2009 and 2011), and one thing that he has learned over the years is never to underestimate opponents in the tournament.
"We have to make sure that all the pieces fit together with a good and smart preparation," the 1.92 point guard warned.
"And lastly the ability to manage those pieces well at the competition will be crucial."
Cameroon will open their Group-C campaign on 19 August in Nabeul against Mali, a team they trounced 89-35 at AfroBasket 2013 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.
Things might be different this time around though.
"Egypt will probably be the stronger and most experienced team from all three," the former Rhode Island University standout said. "They've gotten better over the years. I really don't know much about Gabon and Mali, but knowing the competition I think they should be taken as seriously as any team in this event."
Bitee, who last season played for Moroccan side Maghred de FES, feels he made the most of his international career and is a more experienced player.
"Of course I'm mature now and I have more experiences from the previous competitions," the 29-year-old said.
"I do feel better about my game and I'm sure that I will be able to bring useful skills to the table. One of them is definitely leadership."
But there is one question that remains unanswered about Cameroon basketball given their talented players.
"Why have we not been on the podium of the AfroBasket since 2007?," Bitee asked. "In my opinion, it is due to the fact that we haven't gotten better as team, players and coaches.
"As we can acknowledge, many teams got better such as Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria and Senegal. Even the toughest Angola team is back to the top.
"In 2007, we didn't have a single practice going to that competition. Every player had to prepare on their own, then we were put together in Angola the day before the event. But it was a well-managed team in the sense that lots of adjustments were made, we were focused and we had the most fun competing.
"Since then, I believe we've gotten away from those things, and yet our Federation has done a good job providing us with a preparation before a tournament."
George Galanopoulous named head coach of Ugandan National Teamu - 3 days ago
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Texas Legends assistant coach George Galanopoulous has been named the head coach of the Ugandan National Team the team announced today. George Galanopoulous will lead Uganda in the FIBA Africa Basketball Championship in Tunisia and Senegal September 8 - 16. The 16-team tournament is an automatic qualifier for the Olympics. George Galanopoulous joined the Legends last season under head coach Bob MacKinnon . The 2016-17 team finished with the winningest record in franchise history and earne... [read more]
Texas Legends assistant coach George Galanopoulous has been named the head coach of the Ugandan National Team the team announced today. George Galanopoulous will lead Uganda in the FIBA Africa Basketball Championship in Tunisia and Senegal September 8 - 16. The 16-team tournament is an automatic qualifier for the Olympics. George Galanopoulous joined the Legends last season under head coach Bob MacKinnon . The 2016-17 team finished with the winningest record in franchise history and earned a record five NBA Call-Ups. "I am so grateful for Coach MacKinnon and the opportunities he's given me," said George Galanopoulous . "He is constantly thinking of ways to help those around him. I am in this position because of him and more prepared because of the time I've spent under his tutelage. I cannot thank him enough for everything he's done." George Galanopoulous came to the Legends after spending the 2015-16 season working in player development with the Dallas Mavericks. The Indiana University graduate used his experience with the Hoosiers' men's team to get his first position on the Bakersfield Jam's staff. After three seasons with the Jam, George Galanopoulous headed overseas to serve as an assistant for the Hawkes Bay Hawks of the New Zealand NBL. "I couldn't ask for a better opportunity for my first head coaching position" said George Galanopoulous . "To lead a team in an Olympic qualifier is an experience I'll never forget." Galanopoulos focused on scouting and player development with the Legends last season, heading up the team's video coordination. "I am very excited for Coach Galanopoulos," said Legends Head Coach Bob MacKinnon . "This is a tremendous honor and accomplishment in his coaching career. Our Legends Coaching staff is committed to the game; Coach Hamilton is coaching in the prestigious Tim Grgurich NBA camp in Las Vegas, Coach Chu helped run a Nike Camp in China, and now Coach G will be leading Uganda's National Team in an Olympic qualifier - when you love the game there is no off season!" Courtesy of: oursportscentral.com
United States of America based Nigerian Alex Nwora has been named as the new head coach of Nigeria senior men national team, D'Tigers ahead of their 2017 Afrobasket tournament title defence. This was made known Wednesday by the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Engineer Musa Kida ahead of the Senior Men's national team's exercise expected to commence on Friday, 12th, 2017. According to Kida, the decision to appoint Nwora who guided Cape Verde to the 2013 Afrobasket where t... [read more]
United States of America based Nigerian Alex Nwora has been named as the new head coach of Nigeria senior men national team, D'Tigers ahead of their 2017 Afrobasket tournament title defence.
This was made known Wednesday by the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Engineer Musa Kida ahead of the Senior Men's national team's exercise expected to commence on Friday, 12th, 2017.
According to Kida, the decision to appoint Nwora who guided Cape Verde to the 2013 Afrobasket where they defeated D'Tigers by 79 points to 76 was borne out of the desire to give qualified Nigerians the opportunity of making history with the national teams.
'We started this project with the D'Tigress with the appointment of Sam Vincent, Mfon Udoka, Peter Ahmedu and Okworogun Ochuko. There is no point giving out national team jobs to expatriates when we have Nigerians all over the world who are duly qualified to get the job done.'
He enjoined all Nigerians to support Nwora who is no stranger to the African basketball scene where he coached Cape Verde from 2009 to 2013.
Nwora will be assisted by Kwara Falcons head coach, Aderemi Adewunmi and Gombe Bulls Abdulrahman Mohammed who have both guided their teams to the top of the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences of the NBBF organized basketball league.
The list of invited players is expected to be announced soon.
Tunisia and Senegal to co-host FIBA AfroBasket 2017 - 1 month ago
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FIBA Africa confirmed on Friday night that Tunisia and Senegal will jointly host FIBA AfroBasket 2017 from September 8-16. The 16 participating teams will be divided into four groups of four in the Group Phase (September 8-10), with Senegal's capital city of Dakar hosting two groups and Tunisia's capital city of Tunis hosting the other two. The top two teams from each group will advance to Tunis, which will also host the Final Phase (Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals) from September... [read more]
FIBA Africa confirmed on Friday night that Tunisia and Senegal will jointly host FIBA AfroBasket 2017 from September 8-16. The 16 participating teams will be divided into four groups of four in the Group Phase (September 8-10), with Senegal's capital city of Dakar hosting two groups and Tunisia's capital city of Tunis hosting the other two. The top two teams from each group will advance to Tunis, which will also host the Final Phase (Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals) from September 14-16. The bottom two teams from each group in the Group Phase will be knocked out of the competition. The participating teams are: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAF), Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda. Courtesy of: fiba.com
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