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Pretoria Boys High School vs. King Edward School – 18/10/2008

By on October 20, 2008 in High School

The rivalries seem to come thick and fast as is the norm in the Johannesburg league during the first and fourth term… On a Saturday where basketball was the main menu, the dessert was a water polo game between the two schools. With PBHS playing at home, the stands were packed with supporters for the first team basketball game who then moved on to support the water polo when the game was done. There was also a nice touch from PBHS with a new trophy to commemorate the clash with a floating “Kaniki trophy” on offer for the victorious first team.

In the U14A game, the game started with the both teams playing a zone defence which I found surprising at this young age. In the first half, PBHS were running fast break and getting good rebounds from their posts (PBHS 23 and PBHS 19) but these were wasted most of the time. They should have been up by a lot more by half time but KES were still in it through some good shooting from the perimeter. The half time score was 12 – 7 to PBHS. After the restart, PBHS looked determined to put the game to bed early and with their small forward/guard (PBHS 11) pulling the strings they were always in control of their destiny. They controlled the boards and their opponents were unable to compete with them in that department. KES looked unfit despite already playing 4 games this term and despite their coach trying to spur his players on, they only managed to score a basket in the whole half. Final score: PBHS 22 – 10 KES

In the U16A game, KES looked like a team full of athletes. They started well with a lot of fastbreaks and good defence. In the post (KES 13) caught the eye with some good moves on offense and some good rebounds on defence. It might come as a coincidence, but with this team being coached by a Wits player, they passed the ball well and showed great patience when the fastbreak wasn’t on. With their KES guards (KES 58) controlling the flow and tempo of the game, it looked like it would be a blowout after watching the first 5 minutes. PBHS came into the game with a thin bench but this didn’t stop them from putting up a run of their own in the first half. At the end of it the score was 18 – 22 in favour of KES and their coach must have been wondering how PBHS were still in this game. The second half was a one sided affair with KES in total control of the game. They pressurised PBHS into making mistakes and capitalised on the turnovers by making them pay. There were the odd flashes of brilliance from the PBHS guards but these were few and far in between to dent the dominance of KES. Final score: PBHS 24 – 41 KES

The first team game was as good as they come at high school level with drama from start to finish. The game was close from the first whistle with both teams starting cautiously and nervously with the crowd shouting for every basket. In a somewhat unusual occurrence as far as basketball in South Africa is concerned, KES used the baseline very well on offense with (KES 7) prominent. With both teams making mistakes, this game looked like it would go down to the wire and with both sets of fans trying to out sing each other it was a good spectacle for the neutral watcher. PBHS edged the first half by 6 points on the back of some good defence especially from their guard (PBHS 7), who also made good use of his uncontested lay-ups.   The second half was just a highlight of how not to shoot free throws and both teams should spend more time working on that with (PBHS 11, FT 2-11) and (KES 15, FT 1-10) the major culprits. KES started the 3rd quarter with a press that PBHS couldn’t break at first, with (PBHS 7) making turnover after turnover until he realised that he didn’t have to beat it with the dribble especially with wide opponent teammates available. With the game tied at 35 – 35 and 2 minutes left, KES could have sealed it by making their free throws. PBHS were trying to shoot themselves in the foot by fouling unnecessarily but fortunately they fouled the one player (KES 15) that couldn’t make them. In keeping with the half, PBHS closed the game with free throws and won the game by 3 points. At the final whistle, PBHS celebrated the victory by being handed the inaugural “Kaniki trophy” by the School Headmaster, Bill Schroeder. Final score: PBHS 38 – 35 KES.

Quick mention about the referees, these graded officials were as shocking in this high school fixture as they have been all season in the LOP and GBL leagues. Don’t think it’s fair to paint all referees with the same brush but something needs to be done to improve the standard.

Article by Victor Shakineza, Photos by Chris Paton

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There Are 20 Brilliant Comments

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  1. F.Golubovic KES15 says:

    Sup everyone…
    I’m “KES15”
    i shot 2/8 FT not 1/10 (still shocking but just setting the record straight.!)
    i hope these reporters/scouts will be present at all future games coz there’s a lot to be seen. PBHS will feel it when they pull in to KES believe that.
    Good remark on the refees…let down.

  2. Victor says:

    Hey Filip,

    Sorry for the mistake :). You are a strong young man so keep working on your game and missing crucial FT happens to the best of us, its how you handle the experience that matters. So go out there and work on those FT and try do it under pressure it will come in handy in the future.

    The game on saturday could have gone either way and I’m glad you took some positives out of saturday because you guys have a good team so the rematch will be a cracker next year.

    Ciao, V

  3. kim says:

    Joe
    Is this still part of the ELITE league or joburg league(hahaha).We need to know my brother as you seem to call a spade a spade.

    With the refs having shockers these past 7 months or so,I am starting to think I should go back to reffering.They get paid everyweek(thats if someone doesnt forget)but you dont see any improvement.

    Well as they say….let the children play…..

  4. Joe says:

    Kim

    Yes indeed, this is the Elite ‘league’.

  5. wandile mgwenya says:

    lol…..,whatever you want to call it.. its registered as the RAINBOW LEAGUE and loike i said it hosts the best teams in gauteng

  6. Joe says:

    The argument was never about whether it hosts to best teams.

  7. Joe says:

    The argument was never about whether it hosts the best teams.

  8. theo chauke says:

    Joe,how long it took lakers to win championship after Shaq left them.So it so not about one man show,Look at the Celtics now,can Kobe beat Celtics now,it will never happen,that’s what you call team work,Garnet before joining the celtics he never won championship,same goes with Pierce,with Ray Allen and the other dude they are best team to beat..Look at the Egolis with all the star in the team,They lack team work with big names in there,Usually a balance team wins games without really on Individuals.

    The principle that fumani has that we taught him while we were teammate for ten years is that,He has talent,but without the team he is nothing but a regular guy.

    We have beaten all the teams in Limpopo with and without him in our team.I remeber when fumani left to go Medunsa,everybody thought we will never win anything,but we did without him.

    All i am say you can never build a team on two People.It is impossible,Basketball is team sport,

    I don’t know if you have watch Garnet interview before he was traded to Celtics,the management blame him for the collapse of Tmberwolves,He came and said Basketball is not about Garnet,but a team sport,It is not like tennis and golf,that’s what garnet daid in that interview.I hope now you can have my clearity on this.

  9. wandile mgwenya says:

    joe
    what im trying to say is that you are wrong about saying that this league only accommodates elite schools

  10. Joe says:

    Wandile

    Unfortunately I disagree, please name one school which is not elite participating in the league.

  11. wandile mgwenya says:

    joe
    just because there are only ‘elite’ schools in this league, you can not place a statement with a biased mentality. you have to research and ask the organizers of the league if they only accommodate ‘elite’ schools.

    the league only accommodates the best schools in the province with no transport problems and unfortunately the best in the province happen to be ‘ELITE SCHOOLS’ and not the less fortunate with all do respect when i say that.

  12. wandile mgwenya says:

    oh and by the way i am the KES numba 58 mentioned in the u16A game ( actually the u15A game)

  13. kim says:

    The debates on this topic are confusing me…..and its a wednesday and not monday.I think transformational issues and the name of the league was the issue.The league name issue was addressed and if discussions should continue then they should continue under transformation.

    I dont have a problem with this league,whether there are elite or not is not the issue for me.I would like to see ALL schools(elite or not)playing basketball so that the sport can grow in SA.If township schools do not play then basketball will always be considered a ‘YO MY MAN’ sport.It will always be considered to be for rich spoilt brats and I dont think that will increase our appeal If we look at the demographics of our country.

    I cant say whether Joburg is transformed or not but the comment that you raise wandile about it accomodating schools without transport problems then It is sad that our kasi schools will always be left out in the cold if a GSBA is not formed.You might say its not your problem but I would like bball lovers in gauteng to work around and see what can be done.Pro sport did touch on this during their presentation and I hope some interventions can be found.

  14. Setlogelo says:

    Kim

    I suppose what you say have been the attempts of Joe to relay. Unfortunately he is notorious for raising issues on an incorrect platform, such as the media launch, lol. I still maintain that we must find a way to discuss critical issues internally.

    I saw what has been happening here with us and I discussed the problem with potential sponsors for our under 18 league. I hope and pray daily for the league to become a succcess. But it is going to be difficulut to attract schools such as St. Andrews. They do not have players that are into basketball fulltime. Fortunately Lefa Vetstock is aware of these problems and will deal with them fairly.

    By the way, Joe.

    I still think you must send your suggestions to Cabby through the e-mail he provided. Whilst the general meeting would be appropiate, it is wise to use the method as suggested for results. Written, well thought communique entitles the reader to thorough thought and wise opinions.

    You guys have got some peculiar wisdom!

    Eish, my assignment???

  15. Joe says:

    Wandile, your argument is contradictory and in fact confirms my argument that the league is elitist.

    As a socialist revolutionary, I am very concerned about black youth, such as Wandile, who are attending Private and Model C schools. These youth seem to be brainwashed into one eyed capitalist who seem to think that everyone had the same oppurtunities in life as they did, and therefore claim to be the ‘best’ without understanding the dynamics.

    According to this capital liberalist thinking, the struggle is over and talks of transformation are seen as political with no place in sport. What this view neglects is that according to the latest statistics only 20% of blacks in SA can afford to send their children to private schools and participate in the likes of Rainbow League. Therefore Wandile, your being the ‘best’ should be understood on the context that 80% of black children are left to struggle in township schools who cannot afford transport, as you put it.

    To put this into context, in another article on this site, we all beat our chest with pride when we learnt that Celtics used one of our values as a motivator ie UBUNTU. But do we truly understand what UBUNTU really means and do we pratice it?

    I put it that we cannot be proud that we are the ‘best’ when we compare ourselves with our poor cousins who cannot afford to attend the schools that make us the best. We cannot sit back and defend the continued status quo of structures formed out of priveledge because we are beneficiaries of this priveledge. It is our duty as ABANTU to ensure that the status quo is transformed.

    I beg ballers to familiarise themselves with Che Guevara. And No, not the fashion icon used by capitalist to enreach themselves, BUT the guerilla who fought in many countries and lost his life fighting other peoples battles.

    I am sorry Wandile If I might be speaking above your head, but I hope that this will arouse your curiosity on alternative world view.

  16. wandile mgwenya says:

    ey Joe it seems like my previous comment was contradictory but its not..you just have to read properly…

    Joe , you are telling me that you can find a kasi school that can beat DHS…think about what you say before you say it because you making yourself look like you just say what comes to your mind with no thought behind your statement…

  17. Joe says:

    Wandile, let me simplify

    I agree with you that NO kasi school team can beat DHS. However, I am saying we need to understand why?

    Case study 1 – MaSeven

    MaSeven is a 14 year Kasi kid, he has been playing basketball for the Dayveton Sixers since he was 7yrs. He plays for the U18 side cause he is too good for his age group. MaSeven just graduated to High school, his mother is a single parent with 2 children of her own, and her neice from her sister who passed away from TB, and her parents too old to work, and her own brother who left school at Std 2 and cannot find work.

    A product of Bantu education MaSeven’ mother works as a Cleaner for an SMME company in town 40k from where she stays. She wishes to send MaSeve to the best school so that he won’t find himself working as a cleaner, BUT because of the above MaSeven’s mother cannot send him to KES, which her boss had recommended. MaSeven is left with no choice but to register at local Nomakanjane High School. He is hugely disappointed to be at the school because there is no basketball programme as the school cannot afford to build the court, buy playing kit, transport team to games & pay for the coach.

    Case study – Wandile (yourself)

    You ony started playing basktball at age 12 at KES Preparetory and continued to KES high cause your parents/guardian could afford to send to these school unlike MaSeven whose mother could not afford. One on one MaSeven would skin you alive.

    NOW, roll this picture another year and ask youself whose team is going to win between your KES and Nomankanjane. Taking into account that Nomankanjane cannot make it to KES due to transport and this has been happening for the past year, and that MaSeven has not had a coach, or court or team, for the past year.

    CONCLUSION

    KES will win hands down and Wandile will claim to be best.

    MaSeven will go home angry knowing that if only his mother had afforded to send him to KES. Or that if only Nomankanjane had a court, coach and could afford to transport to games.

    QUESTION

    If MaSeven at 14yrs had joined Nomakanjane which had a team full of other MaSevens, who have been playing bball since age 7 and could could skin you alive one-on-one and had the court, coach and transport, who would be the “best ” between KES and Nonmankanjane a year after?

    If your answer is KES, then please double check with your coach or other neutral experienced bballer.

    NB: I KNOW I SAID I WAS GOING TO SIMPLIFY THINGS, BUT TRANSFORMATION IS NOT SIMPLE, HENCE ALMOST TWO DECADE SINCE INDEPENDENCE WE ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT IT.

    APOLOGIES WANDILE BUT THIS DEBATE IS OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE

  18. wandile mgwenya says:

    joe yes i started playing basketball at the age of 12 BUT!!!! I DID NOT GO TO KING EDWARD PREPARATORY SCHOOL !!!!!!!!!! i went to HALFWAY HOUSE PRIMARY SCHOOL where they didn’t have any basketball what so ever…!!!! i know i might sound cocky but wherever i play i get told that my basketball skills are unbelievable .. i even got told by the DHS under 15 point guard that i am the best point guard that im the best point guard he has seen in under15..

    i would like to play against this guy in a one on one..let me tell you something joe.. i play with the older guys(first teamers) sometimes and they even struggle to get the ball away from me and i even win against them sometimes and our first team has got a player that plays for South Africa.

    joe you haven’t even seen me play but yet you quick to say that im gonna get skinned by this guy of yours and BTW!! i taught myself how to play basketball the way i play and back at home.. i play with adults and dominate there!!

    oh and just so you know,KEPS does not have basketball, they only start basketball in grade 8 at KES..get your facts straight!

    I THINK YOU SHOULD ASK VICTOR ON HOW I PLAY SINCE HE HAS SEEN ME PLAY BEFORE

  19. wandile mgwenya says:

    INFACT IF YOU ARE LAZY TO ASK VICTOR ON HOW I PLAY ..JUST READ THE UNDER 15A ( over here it says under 16A) MATCH REPORT AND READ ABOUT THE NUMBER 58

  20. Joe says:

    Wandile, Son, please take my advise and refer this debate to someone old who can explain to you cause obviously you are not getting it.

    MaSeven does not exist neither does the Nomakanjane School, I was using these to illustrate my point. However, if you are looking for a living example of MaSeven look no further than Luyanda from Katlehong and Fusi from Sharpeville, at your age they would have skinned you alive, in fact your whole team.

    I do not expect you to remember how they played at your age, so please ask your coach or any experienced baller about them.

    OVER AND OUT

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