We are accustomed to facing adversity – Morocco basketball player
Morocco optimistic ahead of AfroBasket qualifiers
JOHANNESBURG, November 11 (ANA) – In 2017, Morocco stunned audiences with their giant-beating exploits on their way to the semi-finals of the World Basketball AfroBasket competition.
They began in Dakar, by closing out the group stage of the competition with a perfect record which included victories over 11-time African champions Angola, two-time African champions Central African Republic and Uganda. In the quarterfinals, they dismissed two-time African champions Egypt in Tunis.
Co-hosts Tunisia, however, ended Morocco’s dream in the semi-final. Morocco would go on to finish fourth.
Later this month, Morocco will attempt to return to Africa’s premier competition as they take on Cape Verde, Egypt and Uganda in the first round of group E of the AfroBasket 2021 qualifiers in the Egyptian costal city of Alexandria.
How Morocco will survive a qualifiers campaign without Abdelhakim Zouita, Abderrahim Najah, Zakaria El Mashbahi, Adil El Makssoud and former head coach Said El Bouzidi remains to be seen.
There are many unanswered questions, but Abdelali Larichi, one of the few members from the 2017 Morocco squad, remains upbeat about their chances.
“This is a new team with a new coach but if some of the guys were selected it is because they have sufficient quality to represent our country,” Larichi told FIBA.basketball a few days before joining Morocco’s training camp last week.
“We have grown a lot as a team in recent years, and we want to continue to compete against the best teams in Africa in order to be able to measure our potential. Of course, it won’t be easy to play Uganda, Egypt and Cape Verde, but we are accustomed to facing adversity, we are competitors and we will do our best.”
A total of 16 players, including veteran Soufiane Kourdou and rising star Mohamed Choua, are currently working under new coach Naoufal Uariachi.
And one thing is for certain, group E won’t necessarily be an uncharted territory for Morocco.
With exception of Cape Verde they are familiar to Egypt and Uganda. “We know very little about Cape Verde, but I am sure our coaching team will do the job,” the 1.92mguard said.
He added: “Egypt has been preparing for this tournament for a long time. The Egyptian League finished a month ago or so. This is an advantage for them as our Morocco League has been stopped for a long time.”
The 27-year-old point guard has become a key member of the Moroccan team in recent years, having averaged 10 points and 3.7 assists per game at the Basketball World Cup 2019 African qualifiers two years ago.
“My role in this team is to try and help some of the new players adapt to our mindset. I will do my best to make things easy for my teammates. After all, we are playing for our country, and we must give our all as a team,” he said. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman
