LOP finals – 2008 battle comes to an end
October 13, 2008 in LOP
During the week we got a glimpse of what was in store for us with the amazing poster for the event but on the day there was entertainment galore for the fans; there were dunks, blocks, spin moves and nerves from anxious players. In the ladies section, it was “Raptors vs. Scorpions”; with Scorpions having made huge strides to get this far, this was meant to be a close game and would set the record straight… The Men D2 final was supposed to be a lopsided affair in favour of the much younger “Momentum” team against their more experienced “Tlou MGI”. In the last game of the day, it was another clash between “Wits Alumni” and “Egoli Magic” for the king of the castle Men D1 title. There were trophies for the winners and hampers for the Most Valuable players on offer so the day was going to be interesting.Raptors vs. Scorpions – Ladies final
With the crowd still coming in, it was a subdued start to the day’s proceedings in that department and this had a feel of business as usual for the teams before the jump ball. Raptors had their game faces on from the first whistle and they made their intentions know in the first 5 minutes of the game by scoring 3 unanswered baskets. Looking at the two rosters, Scorpions had the taller team but they didn’t really use that advantage throughout the game much to the disappointment of coach Willie Matlakala. Starting with a 2-3 zone defence against a good shooting team, they were hoping that Raptors would have a day off at the office but alas it wasn’t the case.
From the start, Raptors were playing an up-tempo game with fast breaks and quick passing. When the fast break wasn’t on, they were patient enough to let the ball do the work and wait for openings to appear. With Gabsile Ndlanlamandla (Raptors 5) controlling the point guard position, D. Leepo (Raptors 
shooting the ball well and the experience of Tuki Modiselle (Raptors 9) showing through, the game was a one sided affair with Raptors building up to 10 point lead by the end of the 1st Quarter.
It was a lacklustre performance from a Scorpions team that promised so much. In the first half, they made too many turnovers especially from their posts T. Chongo (Scorpions 15) and Mamy (Scorpions 9), who always seemed to hand the ball back to the opposition soon after they got it. It might have been lack of big game experience from Scorpions but some of the players looked nervous out there and the posts threw away at least 6 possessions by trying to get the fast break going. They were relying on the stamina of P. Mokoena (Scorpions 12) and experience of Michelle Nobelis (Scorpions 13) to keep them in the game but two players cannot stop an organised unit like the Raptors.
At half time the score was 20-52 in favour of the Raptors and the writing was on the wall already. Scorpions stopped playing defence, started taking wild shots and Raptors made them pay with layups and uncontested shots. Raptors coach Nthato Selebi rotated the bench well which gave their starters some time to recharge the battery throughout the game. After a quiet 1st half from the former SA player, Kornelia Semmelink (Raptors 13) came out intent on rolling back the years and give the crowd some entertainment. She took on the much taller Scorpions post and came out on top on a few occasions with some beautiful spin moves, rebounds and an end product.
Raptors could have won by a bigger margin but towards the end they took their foot off the pedal and started taking a lot of shots from the 3 point line when the easier shot was on. With the outcome of the game already decided in favour of Raptors, both teams gave some of the non starters a chance to play some extended minutes. Final score: Raptors 77 – 39 Scorpions
Tlou MGI vs. Momentum – Men D2 final
Momentum opened the scoring with a 3 pointer from Dalisu Kweyama (Momentum 3) and went on an 8 – 0 run that was stopped by B. Makuala (MGI 12). MGI were being outhustled in the post and were struggling to get any sort of rhythm in their game. If the start was an indication of the rest of the game then the fans thought that Momentum would win this game hands down.
Experience has a funny way of coming through; K. Mwenze (MGI 5) and Naftal Chongo (MGI 14) were able to find impossible baskets to keep the team in the game. There were some dodgy calls from the referees and you always felt like they could be a factor in the game. Despite this, Momentum was ahead throughout the first half through the effort of Thuso Moiloa (Momentum 12) on offensive front and Fumani Marhanele (Momentum 10) who was the star of the game on both ends of the floor.
Going into the half, Momentum had an 8 point lead and looked to stretch the lead after the restart but (MGI 5) was having none of it despite being in foul trouble. MGI had a mini run in the 3rd quarter and got to within 5 points (49 – 44) but this was not maintained. With the quarter drawing to a close, the Momentum guards increased the pace of the game and built the lead back up to 10 points with some good outside shooting and inside penetration from Kabelo mokoka (number 4) and Wes Lofafa (number 1) very effective coming off the bench.
During the 4th quarter it was a succession of errors that led to MGI closing the gap and tying the game. Naftal Chongo (MGI 14) was the catalyst of this comeback for MGI with his drives to the hoop often yielding a foul and a basket. Momentum played into their opponents’ hands by slowing the game down too much thinking it was already in the bag. Instead of going to the hot hand of Fumani (Momentum 10), the guards resorted to shooting from the perimeter and making turnovers at crucial times in the game. Momentum coach Shamanga Ilunga went back to his starting five with a few minutes left but the pendulum had swung in favour of MGI and they couldn’t stem the tide. With 1 minute left, the 10 point lead had dwindled to 0 and the game was tied at 68 – 68 but the drama was far from over.
With nerves the order of the day, both teams used their allotted time outs which increased the suspense. Momentum threw away 2 crucial possessions and MGI made them pay by scoring a basket to lead the game by a bucket with 27 seconds left. With the game on the line, Fumani (Momentum 10) inbounded the ball then got it back and all the fans held their breaths… With the clock ticking down, he drove hard to the basket, got fouled and made the basket in the process. The game was tied at 70 – 70, the clock read 0.7 seconds and there was still the matter of a free throw to win the game or take it into overtime. Cool as a cucumber, Fumani made the crucial shot to clinch it for a Momentum team that got complacent at the crucial stage of the game. Final score: Tlou MGI 70 – 71 Momentum
Egoli Magic vs. Wits Alumni – Men D1 final
Egoli Magic came into this game with a full roster and a huge support cast while Wits Alumni had to contend with a few players missing so they were underdogs by default. But the game is not played on paper and the 10 players on the court had to perform to decide the outcome.
The game kicked off with both teams making unnecessary turnovers but the slow pace favoured the much thinner bench of Wits Alumni. With some in the crowd predicting an easy victory for the Egoli Magic, Wits played a smart game and imposed their game on their opponents early. The 1st quarter ended with Wits Alumni in the lead by 5 points (24 – 19) with Thabo Letsebe (Alumni 15) and KP Ndlovu (Alumni 9) giving Egoli plenty to think about while Lesego Molebatsi (Egoli 24) looked like he was the only one up for it for the opposition.
With KP (Alumni 9) and Thabo (Alumni 15) pulling the strings on offense, Tsakane Ngobeni (Alumni 14) was doing the little things that go unnoticed in a game of this magnitude. He was boxing out and grabbing the rebounds against a strong front court of Egoli Magic. With the game being a close affair throughout, any sort of run by any team meant that there would be numerous lead changes. With 3 minutes left, Egoli were up on the back of a 3 pointer from Lesego (Egoli 24) but it didn’t last long as M. Renunu (Alumni 5) answered back to tie the game before half time. Half time score 43 – 43.
The second half started with a monster put back from Lesego to give Egoli Magic a 2 point lead and as the game progress he seemed to be the only one carrying the team with Joseph Mazibuko (Egoli 4) having a off day. The crowd was finally getting something to shout about and the game was heating up. Mboshi (Alumni 5) eluded Dos Santos with some AND1 moves and finished it off with a huge 3 pointer that had the crowd on its feet; this was followed by a circus shot by Thabo (Alumni 15) that went in after he got fouled. Wits Alumni had the momentum while Egoli looked a bit desperate with their point guard taking some bad decisions at crucial times. Wits Alumni capitalised on every mistake and built up a lead.
With the game drawing to a close, Egoli threw in a lot of guards to pressure the ball and try catch up the score by shooting 3 pointers. With a few seconds left, this strategy almost worked as they got within 3 points on the back of 2 successive 3 pointers but that was it as their luck ran out and Wits Alumni made them pay from the charity stripe to finish the game with a 9 point lead. If there was to be a man of the match it would have to go to M. Renunu (Alumni 5) and KP Ndlovu (Alumni 9) who rose to the challenge to lead Wits Alumni to victory. Final score: Egoli Magic 80 – 89 Wits Alumni
LOP Most Valuable Players 2008:
F. Marhanele (Momentum) – Men D2 section
T. Modiselle (Raptors) – Ladies section
M. Renunu (Wits Alumni) – Men D1 section
Winning Coaches for 2008
In picture: Shamanga Ilunga (Momentum), Nthato Selebi (Raptors), Lebo Maepa (Wits Alumni)
Tifo said on October 13, 2008
No Vic
You got the scores wrong egoli magic didnt win.
willie said on October 13, 2008
Raptors deserved to win as they played far much better than us. we were more like passengers in a taxi during the finals. it was a real good experience for Scorpions basketball and we will be a far much better team next season.
its interesting to see that fans are starting to support bball in numbers again. the previous weekend there was a decent attendance at the GBL finals and the same at LOP finals. hopefully next year we will see many more coming.
Michelle k said on October 13, 2008
Must say after seeing such a fantastic poster for finals, I was disappointed when the ladies finals began.. Yet again double standards is showing its ugly face at the courts..
Firstly the ladies teams were not introduced to us spectators. It looked like another league game to me.. There was nothing extraordinary about the proceedings. But when the division two teams got announced, it really just shows how woman in basketball get overlooked.
I also did not understand why the ladies final which was division one was before a division 2 final.
As for spectators, their was a handful supporting the ladies game. And i do believe the only reason it looked packed is because WITS HALL NO 29 has limited seating arrangements.
And will someone please do something about these referees? The second division final looked like a one sided affair. You would have thought that the referees had beef with momentum..
Nefetiti said on October 13, 2008
is it just me who missed the music, player announcements and introductions to the ladies finals ?
Michelle.N said on October 13, 2008
As a player in the Ladies final (Scorpions 13), I must say I agree with Michelle K’s comment. I was really disappointed in LOP. We worked hard through the year to get to the final and it was treated like a regular season game. Obviously I was definitely very disappointed in our performance in the final, or rather LACK OF! On the other hand Raptors played a great game, they have been consistent throughout the year and they played their game from start to finish, they definitely deserved to be champions. I hope in the future Ladies basketball can be taken more seriously, its starts with us; if we don’t take ourselves seriously, others won’t
either!
Yani said on October 13, 2008
Amen to the referee comment Michelle….and yeah…the ladies deserved a little more hype than they got BUT thanks to everyone who did come support from the start!!!
Thapelo said on October 13, 2008
Yeah these finals where badly organized
Victor said on October 13, 2008
Hey Tifo,
Sorry I corrected the mistake, indeed Wits Alumni won. ciao,V
Molupe Thelejane said on October 13, 2008
Congratulations to the Raptors, Momentum and Wits Alumni. Scorpions, MGI and Egoli Magic have the challenge of making sure that the loss is not a complete waste and that something useful is learnt.
I was asked to select MVPs and All-Stars from the Momentum-MGI game and wanting to do it properly I took stats to enhance my decision-making. Here is a summary in case those teams are interested.
Momentum MGI
Score 71 70
Possessions 94 93
FG 25/58 43.1% 29/61 47.5%
3FG 6/12 50.0% 2/7 28.6%
FT 15/27 55.6% 10/23 43.5%
Assists 11 7
Def Reb 23 29
Off Reb 10 9
TO 21 22
Statistically (and by gut feel), Fumani was definitely the MVP – 9/17 FG (with 4/6 from 3-pt line), 5 Rebounds, 5 assists.
Incidentally if there are any basketball people out there interested in a possesion based statistical approach, I am more than willing to show and share. Be warned – you have to be efficient to do it well. There are many stats approaches available. Perhaps you might find this one useful. If anyone has developed a measure of evaluating players away from the ball let me know. I want to be able to evaluate (possession by possession) things like cutting, screening, spacing, positioning (defensive and offensive), etc.
willie said on October 14, 2008
on the issue of stats, i think it’ll be good if all the teams kept stats then be submitted to say GBA for record purposes after each game and the teams will have theri own copies. imagine if we had all the players stats in hand and available to everyone who wants a copy.
secondly, MVP and All-Star selection. accoording to what i read from Molupe he was asked to select from the finals of D2. the procedure to me is completely wrong as in a league, you look at players that have been contributing for the duration of the league. imagine how many players took part in the league (D2) and only those in the finals are recognised. unless then if we moving to the NBA format of having a league MVP and All-Star then the finals MVP then that is fine.
kim said on October 14, 2008
My 2 cents worth
I think the whole issue is good but I feel that this would have to be done by the organisors of the league.This would be perfect because as willie pointed out,you will have the figures that support one being nominated for MVP,Gauteng team,etc.
One of the various reasons why stats would be collected by a team are many and think Coach Molupe has touched on those points but for me its basically about Continualal Bball Improvement of the team.You want to look at what you doing wrong and right so as to work on certain issues that you will have identified that are critical.Stats are aslo good in a game so as to see who you might want to have the last shot and who you would want to foul on the other team.This is from a Team perspective now.
League Stats might not necessarily address what some teams might want to achieve with stats.To implement stats gathering you need to extensively training programme,where u train people on the rules of the game.They need to understand ALL the possible options of for example a turnover and the list goes on.Teams submitting their stats I dont feel is a good idea because they might be subjective.
I tend to agree with willie on selection of MVP as well.I am not saying Fumani wasnt MVP but If you choose a MVP for a league it must be done by people that have been watching the leagues game and if only for the Final then Molupe can select.I dont think its not about the person but merely about the way its done.
I think the points that are raised though are ideas that stimulate us to think and improve the game.
Joe said on October 14, 2008
Apologies to Cabby, but I am disappointed that the women final was treated shabbily, especially when the same complaint was raised last year.
This is where we need to balance the marketing and politics, as I am sure that from a marketing point of view one can justify the decision by saying that the D2 men was more exciting than the ladies. However, from a political view point transformation and equity would dictate that the ladies D1 should get preference.
I hope that this lesson is learnt, that in South African sport especially, we cannot have the market forces dictate our way forward at the expense of transformation.
Interested said on October 14, 2008
Joe, I don’t think it has to do with one game being more exciting than the other or even politics coming into it. They took the wrong decision to play the game at 12 but they couldn’t predict what the turnout was going to be or whether it was going to be exciting… And it’s not the first time that Women are overlooked in this manner so lets hope the LOP guys hear us and do something about it.
Joe&the other people commenting, Did you go SUPPORT any of the games GBL or LOP? It starts with us!
Michelle k said on October 14, 2008
Actually we did support.. With games being scheduled at the same time its not always possible to be in two places at once.
really am looking forward to next year.. This way we all get to watch the action.. I just hope that we as women will not get overlooked… Maybe take some initiative to improve. Things can only get bigger and better as they learn from their mistakes.:-)
Joe said on October 14, 2008
Boycotted GBL cause as EBA we were not invited, boycotted.
Nthabiseng said on October 14, 2008
I wish i was there to watch. Well done to the teams. Mich i totaly agree with u on da women topic. Everytime a ladies final is played its as if its an exhibition match for the guys. Dats not cool
Molupe Thelejane said on October 15, 2008
This discussion on MVP selection is an important discussion. Some argue that the “best” (or “most consistent”) player throughout the year should be MVP. On what basis is “best” defined? Points scored? FG%? Rebounds per game? Leadership provided? Charges taken? Overall defense? Team loses if player not available? Attitude? All of the above and more? With what weighting? A very subjective decision. Does a great defensive player with average offensive skills stand a chance against a great offensive player with average defensive skills? Others argue that to the victor go the spoils. Their argument follows the line that if the team won it did something right and should rightfully be rewarded. Are they wrong? How do they address the concerns of the “whole year” advocates? Apply this debate to Coach of the Year. Is this the best teacher? Motivator? Recruiter? The one whose team won it all? The one whose team showed the most improvement? A very important debate!
Before I leave the subject a few last questions. Do our teams recognize their own players, coaches, administrators, fans, etc? How? Is that not more important than recognition from the league?
Statistics have numerous uses – team improvement, scouting, recruiting, enhancing news articles, catering to fans needs, in-depth analysis, MVP selection, marketing, etc. Basketball is a statistical goldmine. As part of the administrative function leagues and tournament officials must provide game statistics for all of the reasons given above and more. These stats must come from the league to ensure consistency. If a team requires more stats then it must develop them itself. It is these “in-house” stats that I am interested in. Is there anyone out there who has developed something novel and is willing to share it?
willie said on October 15, 2008
with regard to the MVP and All-Start selection criteria. i believe that as a league we need to have a panel of coaches that is selected at the beginning of the league season. say you can select atleast 3 coaches for each division with an administrator. the coaches will then discuss and decide how they are going to select the MVP.
the problem will be that, since there are no stats in SA Bball most of the issues Molupe mentioned will be overlooked. to me that will be the starting point in deciding the MVP’s or All Stars for a season. then we can add the play-offs MVP.
Joe, if we all wanted to get invitations to attend bball games then no one will attend any game.
kim said on October 15, 2008
I agree with you FULLY Molupe when you talk about the MVP issue,in terms of the questions or better yet the issues that need to be raised.In the situation that we are in though where we have no stats,the best possible scenarios whould be one that says league coach/s(scout) choose the MVP for the league where you look at the 12 games (approx) that have been played based on your criteria.
I think that is better than having a selector selecting on the basis of a FINAL.That is my point.The probable MVP might have a bad game in the final,are you then gonna say he had a bad game and therefore did not deserve not to be MVP.I hope ballers dont think that we are having a problem with Fumani or Molupe selecting(people read selectively)but mere approach that exercise is/was done.
Victor said on October 15, 2008
Hey there,
Let’s just say that the MVPs selected were for the finals and those selected deserved it based on their performances.
I have rarely seen anyone recognised for their performance throughout the year so if it does happen it will be nice.
Ciao, V
Joe said on October 15, 2008
Williie
I have attended GBL, including the Semifinals, without an invitation.
However for the finals it is common knowledge that this is a special event of an organisation, thus protocol should be observed. Therefore my stance was not personal but organisational.
We all agree that organisationally structures are lacking yet when an action is taken to highlight this, we seem not to understand. As a political affiliate of GBA I am expected by my constituency to take political positions.
neo said on October 15, 2008
We cant crucify selectors and players for the system that we have created. If im chosen as the league MVP just because I had a good game Sunday so be it. Until we can prove that we can take stats and correct analysis of games only then can we start talking about criteria on how MVP should be selected.
MVP selections.
After each every tournament that I have been selected as MVP I would sit at home and think “how did I get that jumper right, how did I block that shot or how did I get those assists” I normal player would overlook that point. An MVP is made by his/her teamates. My time at the Vaal was the most profitable and rewarding, ask those who used to defend me, it wasnt my speed or flawless dribbling but tell them about the screen they got from Thabang or Toka or the inch perfect pass from Philane or Nhlanhla.
Until we get all those factors resolved we must just keep quiet and let those who are willing things do them. In the begining of the season Victor asked every team to have their own stats and send them through then we could say who deserves what and why. The Fumani case is easy to resolve cos if you look at his perfomance the whole season everyone will agree with Molupe.
Pick up a pen and take time to jot down the numbers….
kim said on October 15, 2008
Ballers,Ballers Ballers
Well I intend to make this my last comment before I am taken as anti-Molupe or anti-Fumani.Likely these 2 gentleman I am using as examples are people that I communicate well with hence I didnt hesistate to use them as examples.If we trace the discussion you will find that Willie said lets call it a ‘Finals MVP’ because of concerns he had with the process which I thought was a fair and CORRECT comment.
I can attest that most probably Fumani was the MVP with the feedback from reports and spectators/coachs etc.Willie is not arguing that,he is just saying LOP coachs/supporters/sympathisers/ordinary spectator that selects MVP, should have watched all/most of the games to select a LEAGUE MVP.That to me makes sense.This is not anti- anyone.
If you track the MVPs in the NBA,World Champs etc,you will find that ALL were supported with Competent teammates.That is the case with All-stars as well.I dont know what the problem is but I hear and understand willies point and for me makes reasonable sense.Fumani deserves to be MVP and thus Molupe maked the Correct choice but that wasnt the issue.
Enjoy the day and lets continue working for bball!!!
Molupe Thelejane said on October 15, 2008
Kim and Willie, I know that you are not anti-Molupe. Non-issue! The point is that it is EXTREMELY difficult to make an MVP selection. Victor makes an interesting point – never had an MVP decided on body of full year’s work. Neo makes a point closer to the one I like – your teammates are your most important and best critics or supporters. External awards are great but not as important as the internal ones – the recognition from own teammates.
But an important issue.
willie said on October 15, 2008
i agree that it is difficult to make the selection and hence i indicated earlier that a panel of coaches should be appointed at the beginning of the league to be responsible for selecting the MVP and All-Star. the panel will decide among themselves which criteria they will use for the selection.
i will agree with you Molupe on internal recognition/awards. what i have realised over time is that players value this awards more and other players will want to work hard for the team so that they get recognised as the best within the team. i remember at school we used to have awards for best player and the most improved player. well, they usually had other incentives like bursaries etc. unfortunately this is not practiced at our teams nowadays. that is something teams should look at going forward.