South Africa's basketball community

LOP not recognized?

By on April 21, 2008 in League

According to Gauteng Basketball Association (GBA), the League of Pros is not recognized. Here is the main issue as discussed in the email sent by GBA management to a fellow basketball enthusiast, Tshepo Ditshego.

“Please be advised that as GBA, we do not recognize LOP and all those who play in LOP are not eligible to any District, provincial and National team. The only recognized leagues are: GBA senior League, Tshwane and Ekhuruleni.

Please inform who ever is at LOP or LOP owners that they are wasting people’s time and money.

As GBA, we will be summoning the referees and giving them clear instructions, please ask Naftal as to what happens when you do not obey the federations instructions as a referee.

Thank you.”

Question to the readers: Is basketball in South Africa shooting itself in the foot again or is GBA right in failing to recognize League of Pros (is it regulations)? (Maybe there is more to this than meets the eye.) Please feel free to leave a comment on this post.

Tags: , , , , ,

Subscribe

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe now to receive more just like it.

There Are 36 Brilliant Comments

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Neo says:

    I heard that GBA will be launching a website soon, how soon will that be. That would a brilliant way of getting people to know about whats happening in our province beside that way some of my boys who have seem me on TV might get a chance to be in some form of MEDIA….LOL.

    Seriously I would love to know…

  2. Katlego says:

    Joe,

    What you have said make perfect sense and I have been following the whole discussion and therefore understand your angle.

    I really don’t want to get into academics or theoretical side of sport this and that…those I know and understand pretty well…just making a simple statement…we just wanna play ball…

    I suppose the whole subject is clear as mud and should not be laboured much further…

    Good luck to you, the committees and all the stakeholders…

  3. Joe says:

    Guys, thank you for raising the questions as this has provided us with the platform to clarify our role as a structure. Also, to say that from where we are standing as bball, we can only improve as we have gone through the worse, that for this to be achieved we need as many skilled peole as possible to help.

    With the IPT, we are waiting for a report from the interim BSA Exec, and as soon as we have the information we will communicate.

    In terms of the website, we are expecting it next week, I will confirm with our marketing department.

    AGAIN, THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR INPUT.

  4. Neo says:

    What is the difference between a player who plays in the LOP and a player who just plays pick up games at home.

    The person playing in the LOP is playing in a so called ghost league cos its not recognised but the guy who is playing on the streets can go and represent the province or the country.

    Both of them are not playing in any recognised league! arguement would be now who do you aloow to participate. As GBA do you have a database of all players playing in the LOP or not playing in any league.

    I think we should be careful not to breakdown what we have built by making hastly decisions without covering all loopholes.

  5. James says:

    I think that, for the sake of basketball in the province and in the country, no matter what league a player is involved in or where he plays, if he/she is talented, he/she MUST be considered to represent province or country. Also, if on any level, a league like LOP helps develop the sport of Basketball, LOP and GBA/BSA management MUST find a way to strike common ground.
    To the current GBA management team, all the best for the road ahead, and to LOP, you guys are doing a good job so far and I hope that you guys are going to find a way to work with our mother structures.

  6. victor says:

    I love the comments but please let’s keep the website free of the swear words… Some people will get offended and I will not approve your comments in that case or I will edit them. So Kobe, let’s keep it clean brother.

    ciao,V

  7. Joe says:

    Neo & James

    Please read my contributions above carefully as they answer what you have just asked.

    LOP is registered as a private company, and according to the SASCOC, which governs all sport in South Africa, we cannot recognise LOP as a League association. Again we have had discussions with LOP management since last year and explained to them that we are bound by the SASCOC and BSA regulations, not to recognise their league.

    We have expressed to LOP that we appreciate their contribution and would like to work them. However, they have chosen not to be a League association, therefore it was and still is their choice not to be a recognised league.

    Also Neo, your example of the guy playing in the street is incorrect. That player will have to be participating in a recognised league within the correct structures for him/her to be selected.

    Unless Neo,you are arguing that whoever is not playing in LOP is playing in the street, which is very offensive and if the discussion is stooping to this level of name calling, then we as GBA will not bother to engage in this forum.

    Also, your statement of breaking what we have built is misguided. Are you arguing that LOP should be accomodated at the expense of all the other structures that have been built and continue to be built. Are you taking into consideration that LOP was built on an incorrect premise according to the South African sport framework.

    As any book or theory on starting your own business would tell you. It is important that one identifies all the political and legal framwork of your business, as this will inform what your business can or cannot do. As their management was made aware from the beginning, LOP was formed and is run with the knowledge that their players and officials will not be recognised by any official BSA struture.

    GUYS, I CANNOT EMPHASISE THIS MORE, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT AS BBALLERS WE FIRST RESEARCH THE SPORT FRAMEWORK BOTH INTERNATIONALLY AND LOCALLY BEFORE WE PUT FORWARD OUR ARGUMENTS.

    IN THE US, THE END CAN JUSTIFY THE MEANS, BUT THIS FRAMEWORK IS NOT APPLICABLE IN SA AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

    FOR THIS TO CHANGE, YOU NEED TO CONVINCE THE LIKES OF RUGBY, CRICKET AND SOCCER. AND THIS CAN ONLY BE DONE AT SASCOC LEVEL.

  8. Neo says:

    I think Joe got me wrong, I respect each and every player who gets off their butts and goes to the courts. What I mean by a guy playing in the streets, Itsvjust that. there are ballers that I used to play with in Soshanguve, they play day in and day out but they dont play in a league, simply because the TBA doesnt give notices to ballers who are not known by them about the league.

    Lets not run away from the matter hand and making accusations, In Ekuruleni Im sure are players who are talented but dont play in any league same as in Soweto and the Vaal. Are you telling that those players will not be considered for participation.

    The whole point of this forum is to address issues raised by the basketball community. I accept your apology and hope that you will read carefully and try and understand where Im coming from.

    I can only speak for the people Im in contact with on a regular basis and those are the people who are more important to me than anything.

  9. Baller says:

    well,i believe that we all making contributions that are meaningful cos we want to build and see basketball develop. what i really feel GBA should have done with the teams and players playing in LOP was very simple.atleast give the teams and players a period of at-least 3 years to join GBA. reason why am saying this is that, there was never any formal organisation of a league through GBA. LOP and Metro came on board and revived bball in gauteng. why then suddenly GBA comes in and wants to bully everyone who doesn’t wanna play for them. to cap it all we had our national team players from the metro league and LOP. GBA is being too unfair to this players and teams yet they are the one’s who have been struggling all these years to keep players busy.GBA has to also prove to us that it is here to stay then we as teams and players will feel comfortable joining them at any given time. currently there are teams playing in LOP and GBL, what is GBL saying about that. the same applies to players. well,except the Wits University issue which just happened. as Neo said, do you GBA have a database and what are you structures within the province with their contacts so that we know where to go from now on.

  10. Joe says:

    Neo, who is the TBA? Cause according to our understanding is that the TBA consists of clubs and teams in Tshwane. Therefore the team from Soshanguwe is part of TBA. The structure of sport in SA is based on the premise that people must take responsibility for thier own advancement. Meaning I play bbal with guys in my hood, we then look to see if we can play with other teams in the hood, if there is no teams or we are tired of playing the same team, then I look for teams outside of my hood. Then my team and the other decide we are forming an association to decide how we are going to function, ie TBA.

    Therefore what you are saying to me is that Soshanguwe is sitting there, expecting someone to organise them, which is not how SA sport runs. If however Soshanguwe is part of TBA ans TBA is not servicing them. Then Soshas must raise their concern with GBA.

    Players that are talented and not participating in EBA, TBA, SBA, SASSU programmes will not be considered for any FIBA, BSA programmes, including national teams. Again this policy is applied in all sporting codes nationally and internationally.

    AGAIN, LOP vs GBA should not be compared to LOP vs METRO. As I have explained, Metro was a League association, as such was a constitutionally recognised League. Under our consitution if a League association exist they are mandated to run the League programme for GBA. Therefore there was not constitutional or material need for GBA to run a league during Metro. Lop on the other hand is a private League, thus the existence of the GBL.

    As I have argued it is our position as GBA that we are very much prepared to have a League association running our provincial League programme. This position is the same as PBL vs BSA. BSA cannot run a professional league because PBL have the rights to do so as the national League association.

    Herewith are the contacts for our district structures: Ekurhuleni – Joseph 082 923 6951. Tshwane- Arthur 084 8112098. Sedibeng- Mzwakhe 071 1976 181. Joburg- Danmore- 082 768 5638. If you do not get any joy with these structures please drop write to us at gautengbasketball@webmail.co.za.

  11. Neo says:

    Does the GBL have a database of players particiupating in the league. GBL is quick to hurl threats at other players for playing for teams while other teams use players from other teams to play matches. I play for Pretoria Heat, but because of unknown factors we have been waiting hear from the league whether we can play or not, it was disapointing when I heard one of the admistrators saying that its against league rules and you will never play for Heat.

    I know the rules and believe me I abide by them always, but the same rules dont apply other members who are not known by the league but I know for a fact that they platying for two teams or have played for one team and now playing for another team.

    Its like straight Algebra, what you do on the left you must do on the right. People are taking advantage of the loopholes in the system.

Top