Mbah a Moute dreams of making it to Rio

Cameroon as one of the contenders at AfroBasket 2015 gets message from NBA forward Luc Mbah a Moute, a member of the national team at the event two years in Cote d' Ivoire who plans on being in the squad at Tunisia 2015, too.

He firmly believes Cameroon can take on the best teams in Africa and beat them. "We have had some good games against Angola, for example, but we need to beat them now" he said to FIBA.com.

"I won't be surprised if AfroBasket 2015 becomes the best in tournament history" he added.

Mbah a Moute "We need to have a good preparation and an intense training camp in order to be at our best level at the beginning of the tournament. "But Angola is not the only country that has a very competitive team.

National teams such as Tunisia and Nigeria have some very good players and the Nigerians have some NBA players such as Al-Farouq Aminu, for example. The level of competitiveness is very high.

It was against Nigeria in 2013, in fact, that Mbah a Moute poured in a team-high 20 points.

The 28-year-old forward, who spent this season with the Philadelphia 76 years, has a hugely important role in the Cameroon squad.

"I am kind of a 'big brother' to my teammates as I have a lot of experience," he said.

Mbah a Moute wants his teammates to understand that they can achieve something special.

"We have a great potential and the goal is to have a great campaign at the next AfroBasket," he said.

"We are still a bit frustrated after losing in the Quarter-Finals of AfroBasket 2013 and we want to do well this summer."

In their elimination from medal contention two years ago, Cameroon trailed Cote d'Ivoire by just three points entering the last quarter, but went off the rails and fell, 71-56.

If that loss to the host nation still burns, Cameroon has an opportunity to put things right in Tunisia.

Should they go on a great run and win the competition for the first time, Cameroon would qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Games.

"Everybody is going to fight hard for a spot to go to the Olympics and I am dreaming of playing in Rio next year with my country," Mbah a Moute said. Should Cameroon finish second or third, they would be invited to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).

Mbah a Moute is known for his basketball talent, but he is also one who spends time off the court helping raise awareness about important issues in Africa.