The UNAM Wolves team has just become Namibian national basketball champion. This Namibian club has a partnership with Mangolê Basketball Clube, an association of Angolans in that country.
Five players, including player coach Bruno Quizola, won another important trophy taking Angola’s name further. Also in the 1st division of Namibia, around ten Angolan players line up at the Quality Basketball Club, which also has a partnership with the Mangolê Basketball Club.
By: Vasco Antão
Belmiro Bruno Quizola, better known as Coach Bruno, tell me how the Mwangolê Basketball Club came about in Namibia?
– In 2012, many of us were still part of different university teams in Namibia, (Ex: Polytechnic Of Namibia BC, Lions BC, Monitronics Success College Basketbal Club, in which I was the coach), and others were not even part of it yet of a team, but we were all united. That’s when the idea came to me to sit down and talk about the possibility of forming a team. It was from the perspective of identifying ourselves as Angolans who practice the sport in Namibia. This happened and with great pride on the part of all of us at the time (Adilson Benjamim, Samuel André, Gilberto Cunha, Edgar dias, Israel Fernandes, Gilson Neri, Sorte Florindo, Alberto Oliveira, Francisco Guilherme, Johnson Dario, Novato Takanho, Flávio Pascoal, Lino Makiona, Edson Cunha, Miguel Hossy, Guilherme Chonhi, António brothers, and others). At a time when we had teams A and B competing for the championship, we had our high point when we won the title of national champions of Namibia in 2014.
Does this association also serve to help Angolan students integrate into Namibia?
– Yes, remembering that one of the main objectives of the association from the beginning was to find positive ways to interact more in Namibian society. To be accepted with our habits and cultures, and we felt that sport, particularly basketball, was one of the best ways to integrate into Namibian society. The association’s objective has always been to welcome and provide opportunities primarily to Angolan students (interim) and residents who have always wanted to practice the sport.
How many players do they move?
Many players have returned to our country, after fulfilling their duties and/or for other personal reasons. New Angolans have joined the association, bringing a total of 93 players over the years. We currently have around 30 players in Namibia.
How do you manage to balance studies and basketball in Namibia?
– In fact, it is not easy to combine studies and sport, because the teaching method is totally different than ours in Angola. The language factor makes it even more difficult. Many times, students study in two periods of the day and even on weekends, leaving almost no time for sporting activities such as training and games. Even so, we have managed to carry out and participate in training and official games.
What support do you have to participate in the championships? How open are local people in Namibia to supporting you?
– We have received moral support from institutions, such as the Angolan Embassy and other private sectors of Angolans. Some financial support from the families of the athletes themselves and supporters of the association. Unfortunately, there have always been very few, but we have been very grateful for them, highlighting the support given by GQI Ltd, Mr. Paulo Canjulo (Dj. Paulo Jordan) and Messrs. José Pedro Quizola and João Pereira, coming from Angola.
Are the players and coaches mostly from Luanda or other regions of Angola?
By coincidence, so far the coaches have only been from the province of Luanda, as for the players, we have had more than six different provinces, with emphasis on the provinces of Luanda and Cabinda.
They decided to form partnerships due to the lack of support. How did the championships go in Namibia?
– Well, although due to the lack of support to continue running on our own, the association partnered with two clubs (UNAM Wolves and Quality Basketball Club) which, in addition to several players, also have us as Angolan coaches.
At this exact moment, UNAM Wolves became national champions by winning the Playoff final against the Titans, 4-2, in a best-of-seven final.
The players Abraão da Silva Mouele (base), Guilherme da Costa Chonhi (Gui Debaba), Miguel Sebastião (Cilio) (both Base – Winger), Pedro Muyo – Yeta (Poste) and also the coach – 36 year old player – became champions. , Bruno Quizola.
Coach Bruno Quizola, how do you feel about playing and training?
– I am grateful to God for having this ability to do both things at the same time in the best possible way. I was nominated several times in the same categories, which makes me happy, very honored and fulfilled.
Are there Angolan players being signed by other teams?
– Yes, (it is also one of the association’s biggest goals), many players are hired to play for other opposing teams, with good contracts and better conditions. Highlight for the athlete Guilherme Chonhi (Gui Debaba) who had a short-term contract for a Chinese team in the Asian championship, remembering that he already had the same contract at 1º Agosto and Inter de Luanda in Angola. Later he would end up returning to our team.
Does the Association maintain contact with players who return for a variety of reasons?
– As I said before, for personal reasons or not, they will have to return to Angola. does not cause players to leave the association. We all stay in touch via Whatsapp in the Rijus (Mwangole BC) group and via Facebook on the Mwangolê Basketball Club page.
Does the association of Angolans in Namibia have other activities?
– Yes, such as Social Action activities in needier communities in partnership with Churches, and within the association there is a program called Coach Bruno Traning Camp which has been of great value to Angolans, Namibians, Zambians, Zimbabweans and Congolese people who do not do part of the association but they have had opportunities to learn and improve their basketball A, B and C and their physical condition almost throughout the country.
Would you like to have another type of support from the Angolan government, for example?
– We think that one day support from the Government will reach us, but until then, we will continue to do what we love, with the aim of continuing to plant the national flag of Angola, at the highest level of sport in this Namibian nation .