Basketball in Africa

Tunisian club Etoile du Sahel’s recent dominance in African Clubs Championship (ACC) competitions is making Angolans seriously ponder the future, and they seem to be doing anything to return to the top position no matter what.
Last December, Etoile du Sahel stunned Angolan giants Primeiro D’Agosto in the Final of the ACC in Moroccan region of Sale to halt Angolan clubs’ reign in the competition.
In response, Angolans are seeking new options in the African market. Petro de Luanda parted ways with Portuguese coach Alberto Babo, before D'Agosto and Portugal's most celebrated coach Mario Palma went their separate ways too.
In July, 2010 African clubs champions Petro de Luanda signed Cameroon national head coach Lazare Adingono and then followed that with the capture of Cameroon's Parfait Bitee, who led his team in scoring at last year's Afrobasket.
This week, though, Angolan champions Recreativo do Libolo confirmed the signing of Mali's Mohamed Tangara, the fifth leading rebounder at the 2011 continental championship in Madagascar.
Adingono and Bitte helped to eliminate their new employers from the 2011 ACC podium as they represented host club Moroccan’s AS Sale - who finished third in the competition - at the time.
Nevertheless, Angola has a history of appreciating African players as some have even ended up representing the country on the international stage and others, rarely, remained in the country less than two seasons.

For instance, Gabon-born Victor Muzadi represented Angola at the Sydney and Athens Olympics while Chad-born Abdel Moussa became a double Olympian after showing his skills in Athens and Beijing.
In the past, Angolan clubs attracted Cape Verde internationals Rodrigo Mascarenhas and Marques Houtman while Tunisia's Macram Ben Rondhane was rumoured to be joining D’Agosto although he remains with his Etoile du Sahel, at least for now.
Moreover, Angola’s African success over the past 20 years has been based on the chemistry between the national team players, most of whom play in the Angolan league, unlike their main opponents. Although players such as Carlos Morais, Milton Barros or Joaquim Gomes played US college basketball, they returned to play professionally at home.
Besides Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco - and despite the reduced number of teams competing in the national league (eight teams) - Angola is one of the few African nations that enjoys a professional basketball league with players making a good standard of living. perhaps basketball passion in the country is to blame.
Meanwhile, Tangara, Bitee and Adingono are not alone as Cape Verde international Mario Correia plays for D’Agosto and DR Congo international Celo Lifetu-Selenge plays for Inter de Luanda.
According to Angola men's national team assistant coach Emanuel Trovoada, the arrival of the Cameroonians Adingono and Bitee, more than the Malian’s, may have some implications for the national team, as some of their leading players - including Morais and Miguel Kiala - will be under Adingono’s scrutiny at Petro de Luanda.
It should not be a big deal as there are examples in basketball's history of teammates facing each other at international tournaments. For instance, Kobe Bryant vs Pau Gasol or Kevin Durant vs Serge Ibaka.
However the Angolans vs Cameroonians is a different and unique reality, as Angolan players have never been so exposed to an opposing head coach as this time, and the rivalry of these two teams has become a case-study.
Adingono’s Cameroon were frustrated at last year’s Afrobasket after an 84-83 Quarter-Final loss to Angola in the last three seconds of the game. Four years earlier, Angola claimed their ninth African title after beating Cameroon in the Final of the 2007 Afrobasket held in Angola.
Despite Cameroon’s inability to beat Angola, Adingono’s skills and mindset were not ignored in Luanda circles, as they expect him to restore Petro’s dominance.
Should Cameroon secure a place to the 2013 Afrobasket in the Central African Republic's capital of Bangui next week, there are good chances that Cameroon will take on Angola in Abidjan for the third time in four tournaments.
No doubt that Angola clubs are free to generate income and revenue, but former Cape Verde head coach Emmanuel Trovoada says they have to be professional and accept and welcome the new signings as Angolans are in general are prepared to overcome such issues.
No doubts, Trovoada says that "Lazare is going to learn more of our game and our play style, but we have to act professionally."
For now Petro de Luanda, Primeiro D’Agosto and Libolo warm up for the ACC competition which will be staged in November in Equatorial Guinea.
Julio Chitunda