ANTANANARIVO (Madagascar) - Captaining his national team for the first time last month, Madagascar's Vallery Olivier Botou discovered a whole new world in their opener of the AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers in Kigali.

And it certainly was different from his expectations as his side finished 0-3 in the First Round of Group A.

Full of hopes when they boarded the plane in Ivato for Kigali, they returned home with disillusion.

"WE WILL GIVE OUR BEST TO GET BACK TO THE AFRICAN SCENE."
- Vallery Olivier Botou

But, as Botou notes, confidence is what drives the islanders as they await for the Second Round of Qualifiers scheduled for February 2021.

"We can continue to look for an explanation about what happened there, or we can work harder and give our best," says Botou, speaking to FIBA.basketball.

They chose the latter. But they didn't see the losses as such. The Malagasy decided to derive lessons from their time on the court. "We met with some teams that were well prepared while we clearly lacked experience," he admits.

Prior to the start of their Group A campaign, Madagascar were on a 4-0 winning streak from their Pre-Qualifiers thanks to double victories against Zambia and Zimbabwe.

But taking on reigning African champions Tunisia, DR Congo and Central African Republic proved quite a challenge for the Malagasy as they returned home winless.

Now, the February window appears as crucial to Botou and his teammates.

In order to qualify for the Final Round of the African Championship next year, Madagascar need to finish in the first three places of their group. 

To secure their first AfroBasket since hosting the tournament in 2011, they are getting back to work, more zealous and serious than before. 

"It was a first experience for all of us. Apart from experience at this level, size mattered a lot as most of our opponents were taller than us," Botou said.

Comparatively, Madagascar presented a roster that averaged  1.87m (6ft 2in) while Tunisia, for instance, towered at 1.96m (6ft 5in). 

"This clearly played against us too. So, we need to look for ways to get back in the race," Botou went on saying.

He added: "This set-back brought along a whole new mindset. We have seen that our defense needs to be more effective. So, we're going to concentrate on that point too."

Discipline and new game techniques are most welcome, he admitted. With comrades such as Elly Randriamampionona, Francis Mory or Fabrice Constant Mandimbison, Madagascar have enough fire power to make it to Kigali next year, he believes. 

 "We need to be more disciplined on the court. Plus, we could explore new gameplays, like being faster or by counterattacking. Clearly, we didn't have our A-game during the first window," said the man, who plies his trade for the Tamatave-based team ASCUT.

Botou remains upbeat, and as the captain, he has to set an example and leads his teammates on the floor. "I am aware of the fact that some of my teammates look up to me. And I must lead by example, by remaining positive. This is my way of keeping them motivated for the next round."

"We will give our best so as to get back to the African scene. This is our common goal," Botou concluded.

FIBA