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USA (1-0) VS. Angola (0-1)
TV: Live at 8:00 a.m. 8/12/08 on USA, USA HD, RCF Media *Eastern Daylight Time.
Angola enters the game having lost to Germany 95-66 in its opening contest Sunday at Wukesong Arena. Angola managed to compete with Germany early. The deficit was just four points, 25-21, after the first quarter. From there, however, it was all Germany as Angola was outscored 29-13 in the second period, 24-18 in the third and 17-14 in the fourth to reach the game's final tally. Angola's Eduardo Mingas led his squad with 24 points, followed by 14 points from Carlos Morais and 10 from Milton Barros. Angola shot just 33.3 percent from the field (20-60 FGs) and lost the rebound contest 39-22.
Angola Olympic History
Angola qualified for the Beijing Olympics after rolling up a perfect 6-0 record and first place finish in the 2007 FIBA Africa Championship, with 6'7" center Joaquim Gomes earning the tourney's MVP honors. Making an appearance in the past four Olympic games, the country's best performance came in 1992 when it placed 10th. The USA has met Angola three times in Olympic action, recording wins on each occasion. The two teams last met in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and the USA earned a convincing 89-53 win. In the 2006 FIBA World Championship, Angola earned wins over Panama, Japan and New Zealand to finish tied-for-ninth with a 3-3 record.
Scouting Report
What do we know about Angola?
Angola won the Africa Championship, and they've come along way since 1992 when Charles Barkley made the comment about them being skinny guys. It's one of the best coached, most structured programs in Africa. They are kind of like the old University of Las Vegas-Nevada team, where they are just very quick, athletic and they run. The thing about them is they are very small. Their biggest guy is 6'7", and they don't have a back up. They have a player named Olimpio Cipriano, and he's their best player. They have a kid named Carlos Almeida, and he's pretty talented. They don't have much of a bench. Their biggest problem is they just don't have any height, but they have speed. They go after every loose ball, and they always compete. We have a huge advantage because of our height and our quickness. Even though they are quick, they are just not as big or strong. But they are one of those teams that always competes and plays hard, and they are a major player among the African nations.
Should be expect to see a lot of zone defense?
No question, and that's a great thing. The experience against zone defense will prepare us for our upcoming games against Greece and Spain in pool play and even some of the teams in the other bracket down the road, like Lithuania. I think in this tournament, we are going to see zone a lot. So actually this game is great preparation for us. And again, we still respect them. They can still come in and make shots. They have won against China, they played Argentina tough, so they are not bad. They get in foul trouble, and they have a hard time when they go to their bench, but they'll compete the entire game. That's one thing about them, they will never quit playing.
- Tony Ronzone, Director of International Player Personnel
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