Al Farouq Aminu: "I'm representing my parents' country and I'm helping put Nigeria basketball back on the map"

New Orleans (NBA/FIBA Africa Championship) - Even if he is less known when compared to more prominent players like Luol Deng or Serge Ibaka, Al-Farouq Aminu has been affirming himself as one of the future flag-bearers of the African continent in the NBA.

Born in the United States to Nigerian parents, the New Orleans Hornets forward has been showing great things, starting 71 games during the 2012-13 campaign.

"I'm feeling great because my coach and my teammates trust me," Aminu told FIBA.com near the end of the regular season.

"I'm also confident in the way I play and I know that I can help the team in different ways because I can do a lot of things on the court like rebound, score, run the floor and defend."

Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2010 Draft with the eighth overall pick, Aminu moved to Louisiana as part of the trade that brought Chris Paul to California before the start of 2011-12 season.

"Moving to the Hornets has been a very good opportunity for me to improve my game but also to gain experience by playing more minutes. I'm very happy to be here," Aminu explained.

New Orleans finished the season with 27 wins and 55 losses, the second worst record in the Western Conference. However, this is a young team in a rebuilding mode, looking to start a new era. It will start the 2013-14 season with a new identity too, by being renamed the New Orleans Pelicans, a name that better identifies with the city and the state.

"The team has a great future and I want to be part of it. We have a lot of good young players like Greivis Vasquez, Anthony Davis and Eric Gordon. We can build a great team and fight for the playoffs very soon," said Aminu.

Even as the Hornets look on from the sidelines with the NBA playoffs in full swing, Aminu is preparing to get back on the court this summer, to play for Nigeria at the FIBA Africa Championship in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (20-31 August).

Aminu burst onto international basketball's scene last year when he made his national team debut for Nigeria at last year's FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).

He impressed with his versatility, averaging 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Along with Ike Diogu, Aminu was one of the key players that led the national team to secure the country's first appearance in the Olympic Basketball Tournament.

The 2.05m forward had big performances in key wins over European powers Lithuania and Greece to clinch one of the three Olympic berths on offer.

The Nigerians managed only one win - over Tunisia - at the London Games but look to be among the favourites to be crowned African champions in Abidjan this summer and book a place for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Aminu certainly relishes being part of Nigeria's national team.

"Even if I was born in the USA, I've always been dreaming of playing for the Nigerian national team," he said.

"But I didn't know how to play for my country until I met Ike Diogu, who helped me to be in contact with the Nigerian federation.

"It's a source of great pride for me to be part of this team. I'm representing my parents' country and I'm helping put Nigeria basketball back on the map."

Aminu is ready to do his part to ensure the continued progression of the D-Tigers in years to come.

"I'm ready to get involved long-term in the project. We have a very talented group of players and we showed in Venezuela and also in London that we can compete at the highest level," he explained.

As he lets his body recover from the grind of the NBA season, Aminu is cautious optimistic that he will turn out for Nigeria this summer.

"My participation at the Afrobasket will depend on my physical fitness but if I'm in shape, I'll go for sure," he said.

"By having a great performance there, we can reach a spot to the FIBA Basketball World Cup and the team will keep improving by playing against the best teams."

By FIBA.com