Cape Verde basketball player Ivan Almeida has described their loss to Nigeria as a highly physical encounter, acknowledging that the D’Tigers played very well.
While he praised his team’s effort, he pointed out that their defensive intensity was lacking at times.
“I think it was a very physical game. Nigeria played very well, congratulations to them. I think we lacked a little bit of aggressivity sometimes in defense.”
Almeida emphasized that Cape Verde’s squad included several young players, which impacted the team’s chemistry. However, he viewed the experience as beneficial for their long-term growth.
“I think with the group of guys we had on the floor and what we’re trying to achieve here of bringing young guys in and the whole chemistry gelling together, I think it was a great experience for us.”
“We did very well. I think the guys got a good sense of what it is to be in an African competition against African teams.”
Despite the defeat, Almeida is satisfied that Cape Verde had already secured qualification for the upcoming AfroBasket tournament.
He stated that they would use the lessons learned from the qualifiers to prepare for the main competition.
“So I think it’s a very positive experience for us this window. All of us are qualified, of course. Congratulations to Nigeria, Uganda, and Libya.”
“But I think we got out of here with a lot of lessons and a lot of things that we can take notes to and bring to AfroBasket.”
