ZIMBABWE captain Vitalis Chikoko says the senior men basketball team has made significant progress despite missing out on the ticket the 2023 FIBA AfroCan finals to be held in Angola in July.
Mozambique claimed the only Zone 6 ticket to the FIBA AfroCan after beating Zimbabwe 71-59 in the final qualifying match on Tuesday in Bulawayo at the ZITF on Tuesday night.
The Kelvin Ben-coached side made it to the final of the qualifiers, but were no match for the Mozambicans, who are the powerhouse of the region.
France-based Chikoko, the only professional player in the Zimbabwe’s squad, said they played well against a strong Mozambique side.
Zimbabwe recorded a famous win against Mozambique on the inaugural day of the FIBA Africa Zone 6 Qualifiers, but sadly unable to replicate that display in the final game.
Chikoko, who averaged 15 point per game during the qualifiers, could not do anything to prevent his side from sinking with the Mozambicans keeping him under a tight leash.
“It was fair game; they came prepared for us and they were more aggressive on defense. They were ready for me today they didn’t want me to grab the ball,” Chikoko said after the match.
“I think we played amazingly; Mozambique is usually one of the best teams in Southern Africa. We usually lose to Mozambique every time but we gave them a hard game today more than the first game when we played them. I believe we had a good tournament. We just need to adjust as a country. We just need to work on individual play and I think we will be okay.”
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Meanwhile Mozambique’s women side also made it to the finals of the ladies version after beating Angola 90-82 in a tightly-contested match on Tuesday night.
The women’s finals will be play in Rwanda in July.
The Zimbabwe women’s team did not make it to the finals but ended the group stages on position three behind Mozambique and Angola.
