Cameroon: The "Indomitable Lions"... at last?
In a country where football is a religion, the silver medal won in basketball at the 2007 FIBA Africa Championship was totally unexpected. The success has fuelled hopes in a country that may not have much experience in international competition but does have plenty of talent with close to 200 players competing abroad in the NCAA or Europe.
Cameroon played in the qualifying round for the 2007 FIBA Africa Championship at the Stadium des Martyrs in Kinshasa, an outdoor arena, but failed to book a place in Angola. They lost to the hosts, the Democratic Republic of Congo, 76-72. It was another disappointing result for Cameroonian basketball fans. The country had also suffered a harsh elimination at home at the same stage (Regional Qualifying Tournament) in 2003. But this time, due to forfeits by other qualified nations, Cameroon received a second chance and were invited to the Africa Championship in Luanda -15 years after the last appearance of the Indomitable Lions in the tournament. They made the most of the opportunity with a stunning run to the final where they lost to hosts Angola.
Cameroon's Basketball Federation has struggled in the past to bring expatriates like Charles Minlend and Narcisse Ewodo, players who have been top scorers in France, Israel or Germany at some point of their careers, to international tournaments. The finances that have helped make football competitive simply haven't existed for basketball.
The lack of resources have meant that most top basketball players used to pay their own airfare, and insurance, to play for National Team. Players eventually decided to stop dipping into their own pockets. In 2007, when Cameroon were given a spot in Luanda, the country had 10 overseas-based players in their squad and they showed their immense potential.
The start was comical, though. For the first round of the 2007 FIBA Africa Championship, four players arrived to the gym of Cabinda, an Angolan enclave inside the Democratic Republic of Congo, during the first half of the opening game and met some of their teammates for the first time when they check into the game and walked onto the court. Even more incredible was that when UCLA star Luc Mbah a Mouté, a player who reached his third NCAA Final Four last spring, showed up, he was holding his birth certificate in his hand to make sure he was registered for the tournament.
Despite the incredible set of circumstances, all these talented players, helped by the cajoling of their charismatic coach Lazare Adingono, had the best tournament ever for a Cameroonian National Team. Led by Mbah a Mouté (13.2 ppg and 6.8 rpg), Cameroon did not lose a game before facing Angola on their home court of La Cidadela in Luanda for the final.
Cameroon could be a real outsider for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament where they will take on Croatia and Puerto Rico, but questions remain. The team will have just one month of preparations in France. Is this enough? Most of the players were involved in the play-offs of their respective leagues, or taking final exams at their US colleges, in June. At least when they rush to the training camp, the Cameroon Ministry of Sports will pick up the cost of travel. Even if the team plays well, will it be good enough to beat Croatia and Puerto Rico? "It is a tough draw, but we will be there to compete," Adingono said.
Adingono, the coach who is also an expatriate living in the United States and working as an assistant coach at Canisius, certainly will never give up on his dream of reaching the Beijing Games. "Every time we step onto the floor, our focus will be on winning," he warned. Athens will be an amazing experience, and possibly the best chance for a whole generation of talented players to reach an Olympic Games.
How did they qualify?
2007 FIBA Africa Championship, Final Round
Silver Medal (5 W - 1 L)
Results
Preliminary Round
Aug-17th 2007
Cameroon b Mozambique 66-54
Aug-18th 2007
Cameroon b South Africa 89-59
Aug-19th 2007
Cameroon b Tunisia 75-70
Quarter Final
Aug-21st 2007
Cameroon b Côte d'Ivoire 76-56
Semi-final
Aug-23rd 2007
Cameroon b Egypt 58-52
Final
Aug-25th 2007
Angola b Cameroon 86-72
