WHEN great basketball careers become the top of the discussion in the African continent, the name Abdelhakim Zouita cannot be left out. The Moroccan is the embodiment of what it means to build a legacy of greatness throughout one’s playing career.
His career has spanned over 20 years, and he is still going strong. When asked about turning 40 this year, he stressed he was still far from the big four-zero. “Just 39,” laughed FUS Rabat captain Zouita. “For now, I am just 39.”
While the question factored the legend’s advancing age, it had a caveat. What made the legendary Moroccan hooper hungry and wanting more? “I want to win more titles. I want to achieve more success. To give young kids and other basketball players a good image of Moroccan basketball,” said Zouita.
There is no better ambassador of the game in Morocco and possibly Africa than Zouita, whose career has produced continental trophies for his country and former club AS Salé. On the domestic scene, he has won 10 Division Excellence and 12 Coupe de Trone titles. And he still craves more success. It’s a craving which, over the past couple of seasons, has found resonance within the FUS Rabat club.
Zouita says the desire to win is part of the club’s DNA, and that championship mentality has seen FUS win three Division Excellence titles in a row and qualify for the BAL from 2023.
“We have competitive players. Players who want to win. Players who want to take everything in Morocco. And win the biggest (club) title in Africa, the BAL. That’s it,” said Zouita.
Winning on the continent is something Zouita knows a thing or two about, having triumphed with Morocco at the 2023 AfroCan and nine years ago (2017) with his former club, AS Salé, he won the old FIBA Africa Champions Cup, and to cap off a memorable tournament, he got the MVP crown.
Zouita, who averaged 15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists when Salé triumphed, could only express gratitude for helping his country and club reach the mountain top in African basketball.
“I am grateful. I have had a great career. I love basketball, and what I did for my country. I hope to give more and show basketball is big in Morocco,” said Zouita.
On winning the MVP trophy, Zouita says great team chemistry led to his individual success. “It was the group. We had about six, seven, or eight players who played together for about 10 years. That was the key,” intimated Zouita.
Back to the BAL. Morocco will host the Sahara Conference for the second time in the North African country’s capital, Rabat, and Zouita and FUS will look forward to facing Al Ahly, Club Africain, JCA Kings, AS Ville Dakar and Maktown Fliers.
Zouita believes the calibre of clubs coming to Rabat will make the conference tough. “I think this is the hardest conference. These are the biggest clubs in Africa. Clubs with good quality players,” said Zouita.
Looking at the Rabat-based club’s BAL record, they navigated the conference stage quite well, but they have failed to progress beyond the last eight. Zouita says experience has been a teacher to him and his teammates, and the reinforcements added to the club have played in the BAL before, they canwhich will help make FUS a contender this year.
“We are more prepared. We have more experience because we have participated in this competition for two years. We have brought in two good players – Will Perry and Abdoulaye Harouna – they are a plus for our team,” said Zouita. “We will be good at this conference. This year we will be good.”
Zouita and FUS have always been competitors at this level, but they have to take it up a notch this year. While he still has a desire to win, he acknowledges that his window to win another continental title could be closing.
“I need to work more, I don’t want to end my career now. I want to play for a few more years. I want to have fun and enjoy the few years I have left on the court,” said Zouita. “I hope I can end my career with one more title. It will be hard. As I said, the conference in Morocco is the toughest… We will see. We will see.”
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