FAP Captain Akumenzoh Believes Playing In The BAL Will Change Basketball In Cameroon

Ebaku Akumenzoh is always excited when he thinks of hitting the court as believed by Sports Central.

The enthusiasm of the 2-m (6ft7in) Power Forward’s goes back to his side FAP of Yaoundé having qualified for the first African Basketball League, a tournament organized jointly by FIBA and the NBA and whose tip-off was pushed forward due to the COVD-19 pandemic.

Akumenzoh, who has been on the FAP books for more than eight years, understands better than anyone the fear that the heroes of the outfit had to face when the team was deprived of qualifying for a continental tournament for almost eight years.

The 31-year-old who led the team to qualify for the BAL is still impressed with what the team has achieved on the field.

Akumenzoh explained: "It’s been a very long struggle for FAP. We’ve been trying for close to a decade to play our way into a continental competition. "We always felt like this was never going to happen because we had a lot of talented players who came to the team yet we weren’t able to achieve anything significant. "When we came through at the Zone 4 qualifiers and had to play the Basketball Africa League Qualifying Tournament, as a team we came together and spoke over what we had to do. "Playing on home court was a golden opportunity for us to qualify for such a historic event and we told ourselves we weren’t going to let this chance slip through our hands.

True to their pre-tournament goal, the FAP played with vigor and determination to reach the final of the BAL Qualifiers West Division and, therefore, hit their ticket for the Jamboree to 12 teams.

But with the euphoria after qualifying ended, the Buea native have been pondering how the FAP can raise trees that rival the best basketball clubs on the continent.

He believes consistency is the most important ingredient to impress in the leading men's basketball league in Africa.

He continued: "Consistency is what we need. We have to be regular on offense and defence if we want to play well in the tournament. "We have to be focused because we’ll be up against some incredible clubs and players but if we can set up as a block with a good mentality then perhaps we could come up with a few surprises. "We had a session with our coach where he singled out the strengths and weaknesses of every player and this is what we’ve been working on.

It will be surreal for the Cameroonian team to impress in the African windfall, but the captain of the FAP is optimistic to play in the BAL, which will have a significant impact on the development of local basketball.

He believes that the reduction in talent seen in the country is being reduced by many other young people who have committed to playing sports on the continent.

Akumenzoh chuckled: "Competing in the BAL will change basketball in Cameroon. It’s an opportunity for us to show the talent that we have. I believe it will spur other local outfits to make more investments because they would want to play in the BAL. "With the BAL we can actually be basketballers, athletes who are appreciated to their real level because this is a competition which I believe will give the sport an unrivalled exposure. "The mentality now is changing. A lot of the young kids who came to watch us during the qualifiers have started realizing that then can actually play the game on the continent and make a decent living. "I know a lot of persons who felt that to excel as a basketballer you must emigrate to Europe, America or Asia. But having seen what we achieved coupled with the branding around the event, they’re giving up on their plans of travelling abroad to focus on playing on the continent.

He also went on saying that: "Every domestic outfits have massive ambitions to play in the next BAL. Some are investing now on scouting and proper training conditions because they want to have the best players. I personally feel with the current impact of the BAL we can have a healthier ecosystem around the sport in the country.

Whatever happens with FAP during the first BAL, the Cameroonian international believes that he and his colleagues have had a significant impact on the perception and management of basketball in the Central African nation.

Akumenzoh concluded: "For the younger players it’s a source of motivation. Youths can stay here, work hard, get a good deal and take care of their families. "We’ve succeeded in making an impact with qualifying for the BAL and performing remarkably in the league would be huge for Cameroonian basketball.

 

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