Interbasket

Coming into the Olympic World Qualifying Tournament, the national teams from Cameroon and Korea weren’t exactly viewed as basketball powerhouses, nor were they considered serious threats to medal.  And if you looked at FIBA’s latest world rankings and compared that to the teams participating, you would probably come to the same conclusion.

Host country and favorites Greece, is #6 on FIBA’s rankings.  Not far behind was Germany whom is ranked 9th overall, Puerto Rico is12th, with New Zealand at number 13.  Continuing down the list, we found Canada (17), Brazil (18), Slovenia (19), Croatia (20) all bunched together, but were all similarly ranked higher than both Cameroon and Korea.  As was Lebanon (#23). In fact, the only the team in the tournament that was from ranked lower on the list of potential threats was Cape Verde at #56.

Even so, and despite Cameroon and Korea’s winless records through pool play (both went 0-2), their inspired play and aggressive comebacks against stronger European and Americas counterparts were definite eye-openers from the normally less-competitive African and Asian nations.

Cameroon National Team
The team from Cameroon fought not only opponents on the court, but had to deal with distractions off it as the team threatened to boycott the tournament because of broken promises from their basketball federation back home.

Despite those distractions, led by their 6-8 power forward Harding Nana, the small African nation displayed awesome athleticism and the never-say-die approach as they outworked and out-rebounded the favorited Croatians 39-26.  Though they eventually fell to the fast-breaking Croats 93-79, the Cameroonians made it known that night that there was more than Angola when it came to African basketball.

“They wanted to show to the entire world that Cameroon can be a force for years to come, not just in Africa, but the whole world. They wanted to show what this could have been if everything could have been in place.” said head coach Lazare Adingono.

The next night against Puerto Rico, Cameroon once again decided to go on with the game in spite of their government.  And once again Cameroon fell behind by 22 points. But in the same vein as the previous night, they frantically make a comeback in the fourth quarter.

With 1:40 remaining, a shot by Nana pulled the Cameroon team within three points, 70-67.  But Puerto Rican guard Larry Ayuso would hit a three-pointer on the next possession, ending the comeback.  The game eventually went to Puerto Rico 81-72, but not before making another statement for African basketball as well as pushing Nana Harding into the limelight with an exceptional 22 points and 14 rebounds in the game.

South Korea National Team
Korea had a very similar experience as Cameroon.  Coming into the tournament rated 10th out of 12 participating national teams wasn’t exactly a confidence booster, but teams from Asia, even perennial Asian champion and Olympic host China, are used to coming into these international tournaments without much respect.

In their first game against Slovenia, the Koreans found themselves in a huge 21-point hole in the third quarter.  However, the Koreans remained calm and controlled, continually cutting the lead down until it reached only five points.  The Slovenians answered with key plays from Jaka Lakovic and Goran Dragic, pushing the lead back up to nine with a little under four minutes to play.  Team Korea, led by Kim Joo Sung’s 21 points, would not get any closer than six points and Slovenia would end up winning the match 88-76.

Korea have a very good team,” Slovenian guard and NBA draftee Dragic said. “We didn’t know too much about them and they came back.”

In their second pool game, the Korean’s actually found themselves ahead by a large margin before finally falling to Canada 79-77.  Taking advantage of the Samuel Dalembert drama, the Koreans opened up an 18 point lead in the third quarter, 51-33, thanks in large part to Chun Jungkyu’s 19 first-half points and 5-8 shooting behind the arc.

After a three-point play from Jung Young Sam, the Koreans were up 12 points with with about three minutes remaining in the game, but the Canadiens would end the game on a 14-0 run.

After Levon Kendall tipped in a missed shot for the Canadians, things really began to fall apart for the Korean team; in a matter of 45 seconds, the Canadians would score eight unanswered points and cut the lead down to three before eventually taking the game away from Korea’s grasp.

Jermaine Anderson would start and end the comeback.  Anderson’s started it with a steal off of Korea’s Oh Sekeun for an uncontested layup.  Carl English followed that up with his own three-point play as the Koreans turned the ball over again as they failed to inbound the ball in time.  After two missed free throws by Jung, Rowan Barrett would hits a a buzzer-beating three for Canada, making the score 77-75.

A 24-second violation on Korea would set up an Anderson’s three-pointer with 34 seconds remaining, making the score 78-77 in favor of the Canadians.  An Anderson free-throw would make the final margin.

“We lost a lot of battles for the rebound, we missed some shots, and these two were essential factors, the fact that we lost today makes me really sad,” said Kim Nam-gi, Korea’s coach. “This is a game I will remember until the day I die.”

An Issue of Priorities
Winning games and medals are important, so are Olympic berths, but for teams like Cameroon, Korea, and Cape Verde, qualification for such these type of tournaments are accomplishments within themselves.  And though they’ll head home without an Olympic berth, or even so much as a single victory, the fact that they competed on the international stage is something they can continually build on and gauge their progress with.

Greatness just doesn’t happen, it has to start somewhere.  Some countries have great basketball programs and history, professional leagues, financial backing, and other resources, while other countries place priorities and resources elsewhere.  And because of this they begin their basketball journey later and spend the next 30 years playing catch up to the world.

Teams like Croatia, Puerto Rico, and Slovenia may not remember these games as well, as their player play in  stronger domestic and neighboring leagues, but for teams like Cameroon, Cape Verde, Lebanon and South Korea, the chance to play, compete, and eventually win against international competition is key not only to their respective nations, but to their entire continent’s progress.

Links and Resources: FIBA World Rankings for Men (FIBA),  Without Support, Cameroon plays for Family, Pride (Interbasket), Croatia win as Cameroon play only for pride (Fiba), Olympic Qualifying Tournament Forum (Interbasket Forum), Cameroon National Team Discussion (Interbasket), Puerto Rico edge Cameroon to reach last eight (FIBA), 2008 Korea NT for Olympics Qualifier (Interbasket), Slovenia avoid upset against determined Korea (FIBA), Rock-solid Canada strike back to stun Korea and reach quarter-final (FIBA)

The Cameroon National Team is one of the twelve international teams vying for one of the three remaining spots in the 2008 Olympics.

And Cameroon, along with the other underdogs in the World Qualifying Tournament, such as Lebanon, Cape Verde and Korea, will have to face some huge hurdles on the court to earn a ticket to Beijing.  Unfortunately, the small West-African nation also has had to deal with a number of off-the-court issues.

Cameroon has always has issues with funding their sports.  And have always had trouble with infrastructure and preparation - finding and securing proper training facilities in their homeland.

Back in April 2008,  Federation president Chrysogone Simon Noah was saying all the right things about taking care of his national team: “Right now, I am working directly with the Ministry of Sports in an effort to give our young patriots an ideal preparation for the upcoming Olympics and I would like to invite any sponsors that would like to represent us during these preparations.”

Then with less than 2 weeks before the tournament began, there was word that UCLA player, recent NBA draftee, and Cameroonian star Luc Mbah a Moute may miss the Qualifiers because of issues with the Milwaukee Bucks, dashing the hopes of their first Olympic berth in history.

Still, Cameroon was able to deal with these issues as they were not different from other country’s struggles, but there was one outstanding issue, one that if it was not resolved, may eventually force Cameroon to prematurely leave the tournament before it even started.  This problem could also discourage young, talented Cameroonian players to not participate in national competition.

Broken Promises
After winning a silver medal in 2007’s Afrobasket, the players from Cameroon were promised that they would be paid by the Cameroonian Federation and Ministry of Sports for their accomplishment and participation in the tournament.

That was 11 months ago, and not one Cameroonian player has received the money they were promised for participating and bringing home a chance for the 2008 Olympics.  FIBA’s Africa Championship was held last August, almost a year ago.  And because of this reason, the players decided that they would boycott the World Qualifiers in Greece if they weren’t given the money they were promised.

“We have faced a lot of adversity…  they were promised something, and they haven’t received it. They haven’t received anything. -after playing at the AfroBasket in Angola,” Cameroon coach Lazare Adingono told FIBA.

But on the consistent promises and assurances from their Federation and government, Cameroon made the trip to Athens in hopes that the the promises would eventually come through so they could be made whole and take the court to represent their country proudly.

The money never made it to Athens, forcing the Cameroonian players to choose.

Playing for their Country and Families
And with a couple hours before their first game in their quest for a berth in the Olympics, Cameroon was left with a difficult and conflicted decision; despite the broken promises by their country, they still could put on their national team uniforms, represent Cameroon, and give their country the chance at an Olympic berth.  Or they could stick to their promise of a boycott and sit out the game against  Croatia, who were the favorites to win the game, to let their government know that they were serious.

“They came together, talked about it and said if the government and federation weren’t willing to help them in any way, they decided they would do it for the country and their families.” said Adingono

And though the Croatians would eventually win the game 93-79, the scrappy and athletic Cameroon national team not only won respect from basketball fans around the world for taking the high road, they also got big respect from their opponents.

After the game, head coach Lazare Adingono summarized the effort his team gave, “It’s a tribute to them. They wanted to show to the entire world that Cameroon can be a force for years to come, not just in Africa, but the whole world. They wanted to show what this could have been if everything could have been in place.”

The Day After
As of today, July 15th, they still have not received any money.  It has been exactly 11 months to the day.   With their game against Puerto Rico scheduled for later today, the Cameroon team is again threatening not to show up for their game as a protest against the lack of support they’ve received from their homeland organizations.

This time, the players and the coach are united in their stand against the people who run the basketball in Cameroon.  Ex-NBA star Reuben Boumtje Boumtje says the leaders have continuously failed to provide proper practice facilities for decades and the players’ stand is to highlight the issues so that something can be done.  “We’re tired of it,” he added.   Stay tuned.

Links and Sources: 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament Preview & FIBA Forum (Interbasket) Cameroon National Team Discussion (Interbasket),  Strike threat at FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament (Radio New Zealand), Croatia win as Cameroon play only for pride (Fiba), Olympic Qualifying Tournament Forum (Interbasket Forum)  Cameroon fear star Mbah a Moute may miss Athens (Fiba), Official Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament Site (FIBA), Cameroon appeal for financial backing ahead of Athens (Fiba)

Today, the FIBA World Qualifying Tournament begins with 12 national teams from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania trying to grab one of the three remaining spots for the 2008 Beijing Olympics next month.

Follow the intense action of every game, the heated battles, and all the upsets in our 2008 Olympic Qualifier Forum.

So, with three teams coming out of Athens, will these three wildcards have an advantage because they’ll already be battle-tested for Beijing next month?

Will Greece, the tournament favorites led by star-guards Theo Papaloukas and Dmitrios Diamantidis, meet everyone’s expectations as one of those three teams going to the Olympics?

Daniel Santiago rejoins the national team, along with mainstays Carlos Arroyo and Larry Ayuso, to make an always-dangerous and proud Puerto Rican National team.

Brazil will have Tiago Splitter, Marcelinho Machado, and Alex Garcia, but will be without their leading scorer Leandro Barbosa, as well as without NBA big men Nene and Anderson Varejao.  It’s going to be a tough run for the Brazilians.

Speaking of big men, Germany has added NBA star-center Chris Kaman to their already strong front line that includes all-world player Dirk Nowitzki, as well as the solid Ademola Okulaja and Patrick Femerling.

Without key player Matej Smodis, Slovenia is still a strong, well-rounded team that features captain Rasho Nesterovic, Jaka Lakovic, Uros Slokar, and Erazem Lorbek.  The Slovenians will want to send Nesterovic out on a high note, as Nesterovic will retire from international competition in 2008.

One can never expect an easy game against the Tall Blacks from New Zealand, whom are led by national team veterans Kirk Penney and Pero Cameron.

And can Lebanon do it again despite losing center Joe Vogel and on the heels of Fadi El-Khatib’s proclamation that they have no chance of defeating Greece?

The rest of the Qualifying Tournament field includes the national teams from Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Croatia, and Korea.  Check out the rosters, follow the matches, and discuss everything in our forum dedicated the 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Sources and Links: FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Interbasket), Olympic Qualifying Tournament Message Board (Interbasket Forum), FIBA Official Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament Site (FIBA), Can Lebanon beat the odds? (Interbasket), Fadi El-Khatib: Lebanon has no chance against Greece (Forum), Croatian NT for Olympic qualies 2008, Slovenian NT, 2008 Greek NT, Lebanon NT 2008, 2008 Cameroon NT, Canada National Team, Germany NT, Puerto Rico National Team ‘08, 2008 New Zealand Tall Blacks, 2008 Korea NT for Olympics Qualifier, Cape Verde National Team, Brazil NT 2008

Athens beat out San Juan, Puerto Rico and will be the hosts for the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament that will be held July 14-20, 2008. The participating teams are the also-rans from this year’s regional championships. The final three Olympic spots will be determined by the three teams that win first, second and third place.

The tournament will feature teams from all around the world that performed well in their regional championships, but did not place high enough. The twelve teams that will be competing for the final three berths are Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Slovenia, and South Korea.

Source: FIBA

Who will host the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament?

With all the regional championships completed and nine teams set for next year’s Olympic games, three berths remain for teams vying for Beijing. And those three remaining spots will be determined by the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men that will be held July 7-13th, 2008 in a location that has yet to be determined.

According to FIBA, the bidding process to determine who will organize and host the event will begin as early as next week with a decision to where the tournament will be held to be decided in early December (8-9), 2007. And it sounds as if they will only accept submissions from the teams that are participating, which makes sense as far as filling up a stadium, but gives obvious advantage to the hosts which doesn’t seem very fair.

Already there are rumors that Greece, Korea and Puerto Rico are the early-favorites to host the event according to Alberto Garcia, one of the top ranked officials of FIBAAmericas. How is it possible to have favorites when the official bidding process hasn’t even started? If true, it doesn’t sound like a very even starting line for all the other countries looking to host the event.

The second-chance tournament will feature twelve teams that didn’t qualify in their own regional championships, but placed high-enough to qualify for this tournament. The first, second and third place finishers of this tournament will not only receive medals but will guarantee them a spot in Olympics, which is the actual prize. The twelve teams set to participate (in alphabetical order) are: Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Korea, Lebanon, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Slovenia.

The three teams that qualify through this tournament will join Angola, Argentina, Australia, China, Iran, Lithuania, Russia, Spain and the USA in the Beijing Olympics, and will have roughly a month to practice and prepare as the games run August 9-24th of 2008.

Related thread: Fiba Qualifying Tournament for Olympic Basketball 2008, Source: Fiba, Primerahora (Spanish)

With the wins by Argentina (over Brazil) and the United States (over Puerto Rico) in the 2007 Tournament of the Americas, two more berths to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing have now been determined.

Argentina and the United States have joined Afrobasket Champions Angola, Oceania Champions Australia, host nation China, surprising Asian-Champions Iran, and 2006 World Champions Spain. So far, there has been no real surprises other than Iran defeating Lebanon in the Asia Championships (China did not field their A-Team as they were the host team and earned an automatic berth).

Seven of the twelve teams have been determined for the 2008 Olympic tournament. With the upcoming EuroBasket to determine two more national teams to represent Europe.

So how does FIBA detemine which twelve teams qualify for the Olympics? I have the following breakdown:

- Host Country (1): China
- 2006 World Champions (1): Spain
- Asia Championship (1): Iran
- Afrobasket (1): Angola
- Oceania Championship (1): Australia
- Americas Championship (2): USA and Argentina
- Eurobasket (2): TBD
- World Olympic Qualifying (3): TBD

After Eurobasket 2007, there will three remaining wild card spots that need to be determined by another qualifying tournament to be held in July 2008. This qualifier will include twelve teams from around the world that placed in varying positions (2-5th place) from each regional championships.

Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Korea, Lebanon, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico have already qualified for this tournament, with the final four spots to be determined by the Eurobasket runners-up that place 3-6, unless Spain places in the top-two, then it will be the teams that finish in places 4-7.

Angola locked up a berth for the 2008 Olympics after winning the 2007 AfroBasket against Cameroon Saturday. Angola won 86-72 led by Eduardo Mingas‘ 18 points and Afrobasket MVP Joaquim Gomes (13 points, 5 rebounds). With the silver medal in hand, Cameroon will also be heading to Beijing. The game wasn’t as lopsided as some would expect , as Cameroon used their size and energy to keep up with the Angolans. Cameroon was buoyed by Brice Vounang’s 18 points and 10 rebounds, Patric Bouli’s 16 points and Gaston Essengue’s 14 points.

This is Angola’s ninth African Championship.

[related thread] [source]

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The African regional championships have begun. Afrobasket 2007 will be held this year in Luanda, the largest city and the capital of Angola. The tourney features 16 teams from across the continent - Angola, Cameroon, Cape Verde Island, Central African Republic, Congo, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.

The main question, as with most African tournaments in recent memory is Can Angola be beat? and not just that, can they be defeated when the tournament is being held in Luanda? Olumide Oyedeji believes that many African teams can defeat the perennial African champions, but most teams on this continent lack Angola’s dedication. [article]

If Angola’s first game was any indication, it’s going to be a difficult task to unseat the defending champions. Angola defeated Afrobasket first-timers Rwanda 109-66. Angola was led by Olimpio Cipriano’s 17 points. Joaquim Gomes added 15 points and Eduardo Mingas posted 14.

Elhadji Ndoye scored 15 points for Senegal helping to defeat Mali last night in their opening Afrobasket game played in Angola. Senegal, the defending Afrobasket silver medalists, will play Egypt next.

Games will be continue until the 25 of August. (Originally published (08/18/2007)

[related thread] [article]