RABAT (AfroBasket 2015) - After months of rumours, Lazare Adingono has finally been confirmed as the head coach of AfroBasket 2015-bound Morocco.

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The Cameroon native replaces Said Bouzidi, who coached Morocco in the three-team FIBA Africa Zone 1 qualifier against Libya and neighbouring Algeria in February.

 

Adingono, who is currently coaching Angolan side Petro de Luanda, will start working with the North African country in June.

 

"We are bringing him because we want to rebuild our basketball programmes," Nour Amri, the Technical Director of the Morocco Royal Basketball Federation, said to FIBA.com.

 

Adingono has built quite a name for himself on the African continent.

 

The former assistant coach at Canisius College first came to prominence when he guided a talented Cameroon team which included Luc Mbah a Moute, Gaston Essengue and Brice Vounang, to the final of the AfroBasket 2007 where they lost to hosts Angola.

 

A year later, Adingono had a second chance to qualify the country for the 2008 Beijing Games, but defeats to Croatia and Puerto Rico in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens, Greece, ended their Olympics hope.

 

When everyone expected to see Adingono at the helm of Cameroon at AfroBasket 2009, he was replaced by Joseph Touomou and they finished fourth.

 

Although Adingono had two more coaching stints with his country in 2011 and 2013, Cameroon never reached the podium places again.

 

 

In Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire in 2013, Adingono helped Cameroon beat Morocco in the Fifth-Place Game.

 

While Cameroon claimed fifth, Morocco, who forced then defending champions Tunisia to play their best in the tournament opener, came in eighth.

 

 

Adingono is well known in the Maghrebe region, leaving a positive impression in Morocco after leading hosts AS Sale to a third-place finish at the 2011 edition of the African Clubs Champions Cup.

 

[The] general feeling is that players are happy and looking forward to work with Adingono. Most already know him. - Amri

 

"Coach Adingono will be working with us on a full-time basis until 2019, and he will be supervising our national teams," Amri explained.

 

Even though rumours linking Adingono to the Moroccan national surfaced last year, no official confirmation was made at the time.

 

Even Cameroon captain Gaston Essengue congratulated Adingono for the new job back in September.

 

 

At AfroBasket 2015 - taking place in Nabeul and Tunis from 19 to 30 August - Morocco will play in Group B and face defending champions Angola, Mozambique and a team to be determined through the wild card process, which is expected to be announced later in April.

 

"Ours is a difficult group, especially because we cross with Group C, which includes tough teams such as Mali," Amri pointed out, adding: "We hope to play good basketball, but we know it is going to be very challenging."

 

The tournament serves as qualifier for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

 

 

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