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Zone 6 games 2008: A trip to remember or regret?

By on January 7, 2009 in News

Like a true fanatic I went to see some of the games at the looking forward to enjoying watching the best young talent in Southern Africa, and because the Africa powerhouse Angola was there I would dare to say the best young talent in Africa. With my hopes very high I looked forward with unreserved hope to watch the SA team giving Angola at the very least a run for their money.

So I skipped work and headed to Potchefstroom just an hour and half away from Johannesburg, with my heart beating faster than you can say double-crossover. The drive to Potch was very enjoyable as it reminded me of my annual sojourn to Cape Town, only this year it was earlier and there was no traffic to contend with. With my stereo serenading me with Alicia Keys, Lira and Thandiswa Mazwai my mood became even more optimistic with the promise of Love and Peace these ladies preach.It was with high spirit that I entered the quiet Potch with its developing metropolis in the centre and the decay on the outskirts and main road. This spirit improved greatly when I expected huge traffic because of the magnitude of the event only to find that the only traffic was my in my Joburg mind.

RUDE AWAKENING

At last I landed at the very Afrikaans North West University Potch campus and was reminded that I my optimism was misplaced as this campus screams ‘blackmen you are not welcomed.’ I continued to struggle to find the basketball venue which I was unexpected for such an event. However through the very evident yellow golf-shirted volunteers I managed to get to the Indoor Centre.

At the sight of the venue my pulse again raced faster than Lewis Hamilton last lap of 2008 grand prix season with the anticipation of a packed arena, exciting competition and the famous singing Africans. On entering the arena my pulse dipped lower than the Zimbabwe economy when I could not hear ululating girls or boys bassing their way to manhood. This disappointment was magnified by the realisation that me and my yellow guide had used the wrong entrance and that there were no signs to point us to the right entrance.

After consultation with another yellow volunteer we managed to find the right entrance to the basketball event. By this time my fanatical fan hat was beginning to decline and my annoying critical self was beginning to emerge, finally we found on the right entrance of the stands.

VENUE HEARTBREAK

To say that the sight of the arena was heartbreak would be as understated as calling Neo a good player. Firstly the stands could hardly accommodate the total number of players participating in the event. Secondly this was a one court venue with stands only on the one side of the court and depressing dark green wall on the other three sides of the court. The few branding was clumsily hung on the on the opposite side wall in a straight line reminiscent of a basic geometry lesson. Nowhere was Fiba branded, let alone Fiba Africa or BSA, one could only tell by the poles that this was a basketball venue.

PLAYING CONDITION NIGHTMARE

This WAS the premier junior games hosted in the SADC economically “premier” country and thus as a player one would have been forgiven to expect a playing venue of premier standard. Imagine finding yourself playing in a multipurpose venue with all kinds lines to accommodate as many sporting codes as possible. Imagine playing on a venue with no wooden floors and more slippery than that gravel you started your basketball career. Imagine a net fasten unto to the basketball with what looked like shoe laces and had to be continuously fasten throughout the tournament. BUT wait for the coup de grace, your coach calls you for a timeout and look hopefully at the scoreboard; Lo and Behold there is NO scoreboard.

SPECTATORS

As a spectator the ambience of going to watch sport is amplified by the existence of other spectators to share your excitement and disappointment with. After a promising year of the reawakening of basketball with the election of the ‘new’ BSA coupled with the excitement generated by LOP and GBL, I was looking forward to interacting with more basketball SUPPORTERS. With the outstanding job done by MyBasketball to publish information about the event I was very confident that a number of fans will crowd the arena. Also, with the fact that a number of teams in LOP and GBL boost players from North West and that tertiaries and schools were closed, I was expecting to see these players descending to the event.

True to form bballers proved my long held theory that most of them are not True supporters of the Basketball, but only love the hype associated with the sport. The venue was inhabited by participants and their entourage; I could not find a SINGLE fan that I could enjoy the game with.

What about the coaches, more especially junior basketball coaches? None of them bothered to grace this event with their esteemed presence, which to me was more disappointing as this was a perfect platform for them to see just how far coaching has gone, I mean this event was graced by Angola and Mozambique for Godsake. The same Angola who is used as a yardstick to judge African basketball, the same Mozambique who only this year one player from there brought the mighty DHS to its knees while playing for St Benedict Dragons, in Durban nogal.

SA TEAM

The least said about the SA teams the better. I know the usual excuses about politicians this, politicians that. But ponder this; the players were selected the year before with some of them attending the BWB camp as preparation. The coach has been coaching some of the players for the past two years, while some of the players come from DHS and St Benedicts, private schools who can boast that their players play and live basketball the whole year through, some even participated in the GBL, one of the best senior leagues in the country, one player even plays for VUT. Thus I expected this team to at the very least compete with Angola let alone Mozabique.

ANGER

I watched the first game of the boys’ team against Lesotho, I left on the first quarter, and this was not because the game was very one-sided as I expected, but because we were struggling against Lesotho. My anger was more so because I had watched the girls’ team earlier which also could boast players who went for training in the US and had attended the BWB, but I could not find a single competent post player. My anger was confirmed when I watched the last games of the teams and there was still no improvement from the first games.

BEST LIVE GAME IF HAVE EVER WATCHED

As a basketball fan I have watched many close and exciting basketball games. This dates back from the peak of the PBL and CBL. Not to mention the numerous Metro league final games with Nyakallo performing miracles, or the LOP and GBL games. However, the game between Angola and Mozambique boys in now officially the BEST LIVE GAME I HAVE EVER WATCHED. This game was played at 200km/h yet one could see the structure behind the madness. This game was played with maddening hardness that would make John Cena cringe at the sight. This game was played with such intelligence I had to swallow a couple of Grandpas just to keep with the wonder and disbelief. This was indeed was a game played by men in boys skins. Forget the previous Under20 played at Wembley, never in my life have I seen boys play with such maturity that would make would make GBL and LOP seem like kindergarten school.

FINAL ANALYSIS

In the end the trip to Potch was worth my fanatical obsession with the game, I got to enjoy seeing young men and women practically kill each other in the name of basketball. I got to see just how far we have gone and yet so far still to go. Although both the boys and girls competed questions were asked of our approach to the game. I have argued somewhere that SA basketball relies too much on Zone play and ignores One-on-One bball. This assertion was confirmed with the level of 1-1 skills displayed by the both the girls and boys from Angola and Mozambique. To this end I can safely say only Phuti from the girls and Chief on the boys can hold their heads high and say WE CAN COMPETE!

Article provided by Joseph Mangadi

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There Are 39 Brilliant Comments

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  1. Kweku says:

    Geeesh Dude!

    What a long and boring article, Gosh!!

  2. Setlogelo says:

    Allow me, Joe to comment on a few things.

    It is not surprising that the condition of the venue did not meet the expectations of the writer. People who are not accustomed to basketball have been taking decisions for us. It can only be reasonable for us to open our eyes and ears to any developments and impose our knowledge on those responsible for basketball infrastructure. For example when they constructed the basketball courts at University of the Free State (UFS), I was present. Not only did I help them to get the right structures, I “supervised” the marking of the two outdoor basketball courts. Again when one company launched their basketball courts in Bloemfontein, I advised the sponsor that the hoops were incorrect. I then followed the same process as at the UFS. Somehow I still believe that my presence and advice in a meeting in Thaba Nchu influenced the decision to construct two basketball courts at a stadium.

    The writ makes it obvious that BSA did not excercise their duties. Unless the technical person wanted the organisers to rent or buy the necessary equipment. Or the quotations were made with letterheads from the sports shop. That is an incorrect way to make money.

    When one of my friends, Korry in Welkom, decided to also take the trip to watch our junior national teams, I did look into my soul. We profess to love basketball but do not attend the competitions which will boost the pride of our selected players. The national teams are very important and we should make the means to go watch when they are competing.

    Spectatorship derails the progress of basketball. Marketers support what they can see, not the potential. As basketball people we can create a product and enhace the basketball brand by attending live basketball events.

  3. Joe says:

    Kweku

    Please accept my apologies for the length and the lack of excitement value of my article.

    However, it would be appreciated if you could comment on the content as I am sure that you can concentrate and understand at least on one paragraph.

  4. Setlogelo says:

    Joe

    The length of your article should not be a concern to an astute reader. Your observations are thought-provoking and made easy by having various sub-topics.

    Nevertheless Kweku indicated that the content was not an individual preference.

    I have read the article four times yesterday and once today. There has been numerous articles longer than this one posted.

    If you are so quick to apologise to your observations, then I also request that you do the same for me. The article started with a beautiful expression of the first stages of a journey. However when you get to the location, the writ becomes a political agenda. I know the history of advantaged institutions. I do not want to hear complains about it.
    And then a poor volunteer who may not have been taught the mechanisms of entering the venue get crtiticised for the wrong entrance. What is the fuss about the volunteer? What is their role to the basketball information you want to relay?
    Last but not least, I questioned whether you went to watch basketball for your own entertainment or to look who else was there or not? Or you went there to look for the mistakes in organisations. I guess you should apologise for this. You have wasted my imagination in telling the story.

    Nonetheless I believe that as a contributor there is no need to apologise to anyone. Whilst it is advisable to always think of the reader, contributors need not write only to apologise. This weakness (of apologising) is an example of fear to those who would like to contribute. (What if people do not like this article?) People have a choice when they read and make their own observations from what has been written.

    Writers cannot please everyone. All are free to choose. Thus there is no need to apologise.

  5. Joe says:

    Setlogelo

    My apology was meant to be SARCASTIC as I also find Kweku’s contribution pointless, hence the second line. I thought for once in my life I will be the bigger man and apologise even though I think otherwise.

    Therefore, consider my apology withdrawn.

  6. Kweku says:

    Joe,

    Joe from an administrators/coaches view how is your article helping the sport? How do you suppose your lack of excitement as you state and as a known figure in the basketball world helps bball attract support?

    An astute analysis indeed Setlogelo.

  7. kim says:

    Joe

    I think you have touched on many important points that interest me and thanks for taking the time to go and watch the games for some of us as we were unable to go.Can we look at the SA team.You make mention that it didnt perform well and I would like to believe you because some of my fellow coaches that attended the games believe so as well.I would like us to discuss the possible solutions to this.

    If we look at the matter, I would break it up into 3.Administration,Coaches and Players.Now if we look at these 3 categories(some will add if they want)as they stand, do we think that we are doing enough currently to ensure our coaches achieve?Do we think that our players are at a level to compete,even if they play at a GBL and/or LOP level?Is administration assisting Coaches in achieveing their goals by having corrective planning for these tournaments?

    If not,what do we think the solution for our sport is based on the stuff you observed in Potch?What did the team lack that us club coaches can take note of?

    I think your piece is very informative and can spark some good debate!

  8. kim says:

    Oh by the way,I dont think it would be fair to direct all these questions to you but it is a general comment for people that went to the games and have input on the matter and not just the author of the article.

  9. theo says:

    Kim

    Were all the players playing in the zone 6 from LOP and GBL?I believe that we need more games with the African teams so that we can match their games.

    We need to improve by researching what countries like Angola and Mozambique are doing,so that we can improve our games.

  10. kim says:

    Theo
    from what I gather,not all the players played in the GBL or LOP hence the author states that he wasnt disappointed.I like the suggestion you make about playing more games which for me means more camps and as such more experience.

    Research those teams so we can play like them?Please elaborate because my fear is to take Angolas style of bball and try implement it here.Our will focus on the coaches first.How are we able to point a figure at the coach and say he/she didnt do a good job?The day we able to have an answer to that then we will be going in the right direction.Just because Kimathi took the FASU and came 2nd surely should not be the ONLY criteria that truely reflects the teams performance.
    Yes the team might have got silver but their play was terrible to say the least but luckily Kim had limited competition.

    Lets look at the Mens squad because they are the most televised of most teams.That team played very well(i think) in All Africa Games but lost.You could see that there was a structure that was set on playing the break,defense and half court basketball.Now if we look at that then can we say that the best way that as a country we should be having ALL the men national teams playing?Shouldnt they be a South African style that BEST suit us and then educating our coaches about that style and then coaches try play within that style?

    Going to Angola and Mozambique etc is important to see how they setup their structures to achieve what they have at the moment but we need to identify what way will best achieve us results.If we have this style of play then shouldnt that filter down to provincial and club coaches?I think they should because If I make my players just run and Coach Joe gets to a camp and is implementing this style then kim’s player is not able to adapt to it and then we might be creating players with good physical conditions but low basketball IQ.

    We need to know what to teach our kids for them to play at that level.When we do that,coaches at a club level will be able to assist national team coaches in preparing players for the national team setup.Thats why you find that at some camps,national team players cant screen.the coach doesnt understand that during international games alot of screens take place.How do you then as a coach prepare for the screens etc.

    Thats my take!

  11. setlogelo says:

    Kim raises an important question on the level of competition for the players. I am NOT an expert in elements concerning winning teams.
    As much as I am tempted to talk about the lack of professional league or what impact competition such as national basketball league can make, it is best that we should focus on what we have.

    Theo mentions the element of research to improve players’ performance. That is critical as it helps one to understand the way players, coaches and administrators from winning teams think.
    Again I am NOT a coach or high level administrator to comprehend such winning mentalities.
    Nonetheless I believe that for such winning teams, it is deeper than pride for their country. It is not anything to do with passion or mere desire to be in the national team. For them basketball is a way of life. It is one ingredient which makes up their blood cells. They have a purpose in their minds. They see some things way beyond what we can comprehend.

    Perhaps a survey should be done on the mentality of our basketball players. Why do they play ball. What drives them? How do they view their relations with basketball itself? Do they want to be the best players in Africa?

    That should apply to the coaches as well. Why do they coach? Where do they want to see their teams in the next five years? What do they perceive perceive as obstacles and challenges to their objectives? Do they want to become the best in Africa?

    And then it goes to BSA. What is the mission statement of BSA? Is it to become the best steward of basketball in Africa? What are the action plans to achieve such a feat? How will progress be measured? Do the provinces know of the vision of BSA? What is their role in living the mission statement of the organisation? What are the values BSA? What are those high level principles BSA talks about on the Strategic Plan?

    Please note that it starts with the individual. An organisation directs. One of the greatest marketers in the country, Thebe Ikalafeng always mentions the importance of personal brands integrating with organisational brands. What defines the basketball brand?

  12. Joe says:

    Kweku

    I hope the contributions above answers your misgivings about how my article can help in both the administration and the playing of bball.

    Seems your views are personal than objective. Grew up Son.

    Kim

    Speaking as a failed coach for me everything starts with coaching, hence my disappointment that Youth coaches did not attend the games. From a coaching perspective not matter how many manuals one reads, watching and analysing a live game is still the most efffective way of learning. I am currently trying very hard to get a video of the Ang vs Moz game as there are lessons to be learned, this will be followed by research.

    What the games also revealed is how our players lack international exposure earlier in their careers. This circumstance leads to some players growwing up believing that they are better than they actually and get exposed at this level. I apologies for naming players but I personally expected the trio from DHS to shine, especially Yao. It was illuminating to hear players from other countries commenting that Yao “runs like a star, behaviours like a star but plays like a girl.” Sak from St Benedicts also disappointed hes a very good player yet when the level is taken a notch up he struggles.

    I hope that the following squads, including the senior squad, do not go the HPC and think they are ready. Instead, I would advise that they go camp in Moz and play friendlies with clubs from there, that would be better preparation.

    Also, as argued earlier, we need to really teach one-one basketball to our junior players. As you pointed out in the other article, our players cannot play man-man defense as they are taught too much zone. This point of view is further supported by the astounding development of Limpopo Junior basketball, which based on man-man. I can remember years back when Limpopo girls were a laughing stock in basketball, but as I said Phuti was the most outstanding player we had at the tourney not just on the girls but also on the boys side.

    Also, when the African Warriors (AW) dominated Metro league in Gauteng it was based on sound man-man principles. It is my contention that without the influence of AW basketball, Gauteng basketball players will not be developing better at senior level than other provinces, such as WC who have a better settled adminstration and a stable League.

  13. Molupe says:

    Joe,

    It is worth getting many tapes of the games for a number of reasons:

    Strategically, the U18/19 and U20/21 age groups are the most important for SA basketball. Thus where possible, I try to get to all games and tournaments in these age groups. Due to previous commitments and car radiator problems Mandla and I were able to only catch 3 matches (SA vs Angola (men and women) and the men’s final Mozambique vs Angola) at the recent Zone 6 competition.

    A few general random comments about the games we saw:
    – The keys to beating Angola (both men and women) were to stop dribble penetration (especially by the point guards) and to block out. Mandla and I pointed this out to the Mozambican Director of Coaching (name forgotten but have his card at home), who agreed completely with us.
    – Mozambique men did a wonderful job of implementing these keys for 3 quarters and then having built a big lead in the 3rd quarter, they stopped doing this in the 4th quarter and were punished.
    – The way Moz stopped dribble penetration was to zone up (2-3) and the top guys had to close the gap between them. This prevented their big guys from picking up cheap fouls (something that SA bigs did against Angola). There are of course other ways to stop dribble penetration. I think they opted for this route because the Angolan point was the fastest ballhandler I have seen this year. Super quick.
    – Mozambique was scoring freely when they went to their best driver. In the fourth quarter Mozambique did not get the ball enough to the driver (#9 I think) and too many non scorers were taking bad shots.
    – When the Angolan coach lost his cool the assistant coach took over (in a very cool but smart manner) and guided the team to its victory. He was, in my opinion, the hero (along with #4) for Angola.
    – There were some key technical decisions taken by the coaches in the men’s final – eg the Mozambican coach not taking a timeout when his best rebounder was temporarily injured and then waiting for a while before getting him back into the game; two key substitutions that the Angolan assistant coach made in the 4th quarter – inserting #4 & #5 back into the lineup, and switching their best deny defender onto Mozambique’s best driver; the Mozambican coach going to his second unit (who shot more from the outside) in the 3rd quarter to get scoring going, etc
    – To some degree I can understand why the SA men’s coach, James, was not able to stop dribble penetration – he was focussed on the offensive end where his team was unable to score. Learning point – have various people on the bench looking at different things.
    – SA men battled to score because it could establish an inside game (dribble penetration, fast breaks, easy passes into the post, post moves, etc). Most inside points we were getting were offensive rebound putbacks.
    – SA still has some talented kids available – Dumisani and Chris, for example – have many years ahead of them at this age group. The key is developing them further.
    – Our ladies (especially in the post) need a lot of physical training work – getting stronger, bulkier with increased speed.
    – The Angolan women’s team tried to play a lot of mental games with the SA women’s team during warm-ups – it was interesting to watch all that
    – Evidence from these matches suggests that shooting is something that needs to be improved significantly at U20 level in Zone 6
    – After the men’s final I turned to Mandla and told him that we need to plan a trip to Angola – they play with passion and pride. And boy do they know how to celebrate. Anybody off to Angola soon?
    – Best final I ever saw? No, but plenty to observe, learn, enjoy. Definitely worth the drive.
    – Two of the Moz men’s players are in their senior squad.
    – In my estimation there at least 3 Angolan women, 2 Angolan men, 3 Moz men who will play in their senior national teams within 3 or 4 years, if they are not there already.
    – SABC 3 showed a glimpse of the SA vs Lesotho game late at night – I caught it too late (by mistake) and could not comment on what I saw.

  14. kim says:

    Joe
    Great points.Now if I look at our basketball setup,going to MOZ or ANG would be good,ney make that GREAT but the problem is we tend to camp for a tournament.I think this is wrong.Even if we took our teams there,thats not enough.We should always know where we want to go but begin early.I dont see a reason(besides funding) why we cant have constant camps during a year when we dont have qualifiers.Why do we have to camp in Jan for a tournament which is in Feb.That takes away the ability of the coach to prepare the team to its competent physical capacity and its competent mental ability.

    Immediately when we camp a month before,which in fact will be 4 days in that month,we think we can not make those players fit in those 4 days and run them as if there is no tomorrow.Players are then burnt up.I was fortunate to be at the Senior Men camp in bloem in 2007 and was impressed how coach Flosh sessions where on plays and shooting drills.Working on their defense principles but not trying to get them fit in 3 days.The women instead were running like horses and having 3 hour sessions.When they got to HPC ,it was the same army regime.By the time they get to Zim,do you expect to get results?None will come.

    You mention something about posts in the womens game.How many good posts can you count in SA,regardless of age?I believe the womens game has been destroyed by the phenomenoem to run.I actually blame GP(hahaha,jokes) for this because had we had teams sticking with that ability to play good fundamental half court game then you wouldnt have this problem.Look at the senior team.One knew that Nosipho,Emma,Seipati would make the team.Not matter how they played,their are the few posts that are there.Coaches are only concentrating transition offense which is wrong.

    Thats another critical issue your article touches on but now what is the solution?Getting all these tall netball gals cos netball is our competition for them.How do we get them playing for us?This needs recruiting.Recruiting is not talking bad about the other sport in the hope of her joining the sport.The reason I mention this is because some coaches think that If you say Kim is a bad coach come to Pretoria then you are a recruiter.No,how many of those players ended up going to where that coach wanted 0.We needed to have something to attract these players with.Competitions,TV airplay,incentives etc.

  15. kim says:

    Very important info shared there Molupe,thanx

  16. Joe says:

    Molupe

    I afraid to comment on your contribution asI know I would not do justice to it, but wouild end up embarassing myself and I would need 5 Granpas after that. However, through my half baked coaching mind, here goes.

    It is difficult to stop dribble penetration if ALL players cannot defend man-man or know how and when to help. For the life of me I cannot remember the player, but last year Pretoria Heat had a point guard who killed almost every team because he could penetrate defenses very easy then kick to the hot shooters as soon as the defense adjusts. Since then I was yet to see another point guard do this very effectively, until Angolan point guard caused me a big headache cause I could not keep up with him.

    Fact is South African offensive play is too slow cause we feel more comfortable playing zone instead of always trying to penetrate earlier to set up easy basket. Also, I have heard coaches and players shouting motion but failed to see what exactly is this MOTION. More often than not in this “MOTION” you would see players looking to pass the ball when a clear shots or driving lane is open to them. Also this fear is cause but the fact that most players tend to think AND1 equals bribbling the ball and therefore do not dribble with purpose.

    Kim

    Regular camps will be very ideal, mara eish where does one get the money? In defense of the GP ladies why bother to set up play when there is no defense. FACT is women basketball in South Africa is played in a snail pace as coaches treat women players like models instead of ATHLETES. I remember when I started basketball and my coach once asked me demonstrate to the team how to run, only to then tell ALL of that he was merely using to show us how NOT to run. This also reminds of the Engen U18 US camps and how one episode our players were put through some physical exercises in which they struggled badly.

    AGAIN, it begins with coaching, most coaches including myself, can discuss how a team should change from Zone to Man, but not many of their players would be able to stop Lucky from UJ cause of his speed. As coaches we learn very much about how to teach basketball skills but know very little about Human Movement Studies which is basic to any player in any sport. For this line of argument look no further than Dwayne Wade and LeBron James, they are so quick it frightening!

  17. kim says:

    Joe
    Fair comment.You dont have to however play man to stop dribble penetration.We also forget that if we allow the ball to be passed into the middle of the zone that is the same as dribble penetration.Now we need to coach,how to avoid that pass as well and not focus on the dribble part alone.I dont care how an athlete you may be but you will have a minimum 5 positions in a quarter where you have to play a half court game.The issue is that GP should improve on their half court set.

    The day any province beats GP,would be the day they start playing half court basketball with them and not allowing them to get in to their transition offense.It has been done at a senior and Sassu level and has should signs that it can be done.Problem is that teams want to play a running game with GP,FORGET it.With Pupsi at the point and superman(lungile) running,you wont win.

  18. Joe says:

    Kim

    The fact that teams cannot keep up with the running Lungile means that players are not taught how to run, this is what the Zone 6 proved. The fact that Pupsi is still unstoppable after all these years means that players still cannot play man-man defence.

    Till these basic aspects of bball are addressed GP will continue to clobber other provinces without resorting to half court offense. Unless BSA coaching dept jerks up its act, I am hoping to organise a Symposium this year for coaches to debate this further.

  19. kim says:

    The fact that MJ23 was unstoppable for all those years meant players could not play man to man?I seem not to agree with you on the pupsi matter.It would be great to have the BSA coaching dept around for grading etc,

  20. Lorenz says:

    Joe and the Everyone

    Firstly,Compliments of the new season to everyone.

    Kweku,
    Welcome to the site of SA Basketball debates and here we do not hide anything.We call a spade a spade.

    Joe,
    Great article and thanks for being there for us.I have only read your artilce once and printed it so I could read again and again.

    I will be commenting soon Kweku.

    Thanks.

  21. kim says:

    I was talking to one of the people that went to the games and it transpires that Mozambique chose their team in October 2007 already.They occasionaly met bi-monthly to have camps.Zimbabwe had 3 of their players play in the senior national team.I think these are ideas that we start looking at.We can say that we chose players in the last Engen Under 18 but when did they start being active.I for 1 dont count BWB as camp.

  22. neo says:

    6 Boys from Moz played in the same team, Desportivo de Maputo. They played together in the Vodacom National League.

    I would like to post one question to everybody who reads or comments on this website.

    If you were given the job of being a BSA administrator and contributor in SA basketball in the next 4 years, what would you change.

    Don’t be shy, there is no right or wrong answer, oh and this is not a mybasketball competition.

  23. kim says:

    Neo
    Hahaha………You got me there,didnt expect a question like that but I think that brings a motion of basketball peeps being peeps that come with solutions and not always complaining.I am currently studying the numerous documents drafted by BasketballSA and seeing what plans they have and I will mos def contribute to your question.

    Dont want to say I want to change a,b,c only to findout that it is in the 4 year plan of BasketballSA.Great question though

  24. neo says:

    I have that four year plan, if you raise whats already in that plan, hey thats gud then they are on the right track and if you raise somthing thats not there it means its something to consider…

  25. kim says:

    Neo
    At the last world student game I talked to the coaches from Mozambique,he was surprised that we had given them a fight during the final of the FASU games considering that our team had just met at the tourney.I than asked him their plans.He then informed me how the association or they(not sure who) got 90% of the women players to go study at 1 institution.I have just forgetten the name of the institution(I think its ISPU).They then built their program on that institution and then got those results.

    When we met in Bangkok.They had the same team,had the same plays and the only difference was movement of coaches but were all part of the squad.That team did very very well.They won more games at the WSG 07 than we won in ALL the WSG combined(ladies,that is).I travelled with the team (during our off day) to their game against Serbia.You having been to WSG, you would know what serbia are like,they lost against serbia in the last minute.

    I have mad respect for the program that was built by moz,I hope we can start thinking along the same lines of planning for the future.Thats inspiring.We dont have to do the same thing that they did because obviously our demographics etc are different.I would love to travel to moz and get a week long experience of basketball.So I am not surprisd when you talk about 6 players from 1 team.

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