With the League going into its third week, there is a mixture of fun and intensity with some games being close affairs and others blow outs but with the aim of the league to develop officials and aspiring players… So far the Montana Vikings Men 2 team is setting the pace with an unbeaten run…

Speaking to one of the organisers, Tim Molteno, here are his thoughts on the League:

How it was conceptualised

To be honest, the summer league was pretty much Kirk Daniel’s (another menber of the MVBC) brainchild. It is something that we have had the itch to run for a while and it has been a sort of pipedream. The format of the summer league is definitely Kirks dream and speaks to his soccer sensibilities. (We have gone with a league and a separate cup competition instead of a league with playoffs attached at the end. This format is very different to anything we are used to but does fit the spirit of the summer league)

Why it came about

There were some factors which led to us taking the step this year and arranging the league.

• We identified that there was a gap for basketball in the summer and years ago there used to be a central league run in the summer which was a success
• We also wanted to keep our players interested and running with some constructive yet fun basketball
• We identified that it could be linked to the development of our juniors as well as other fringe clubs who have not competed in the formal winter league of late.
• Finally we wanted to have a league free to politics and issues. A league organised in the spirit of basketball. (as we see it) Perhaps to prove a point that with a little bit of effort and co operation that such a league can be successful and fun at the same time.

We did consider running a preseason tournament but thanks to the factors mentioned above it actually pushed us to organise the league instead.

We still have some way to go, and there are definitely some tweaks that we can make to improve it. But we are enjoying it along with the players and officials and there is some development of youngsters which is taking place. I believe that this will therefore grow from strength to strength.

And with that in mind come down to the Belhar indoor center for some basketball action or to join the fun.

Here are the fixtures:

MVBC Summer League Fixtures 2011 (pdf document)

Article by Victor Shakineza

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Attached is the list of players invited to the WCBA senior trials for the Senior IPT to be held in Cape Town from 13 to 18 December 2010. Please inform the players of your club of their inclusion. The first practices will be on Tuesday 2 November at Belhar Sports Center. Ladies practice 18:00 to 20:00, Men’s practice 19:30 to 21:30

Ladies senior squad:

Head Coach : Kimati Toboti

Assistant Coaches : Nompunyezo Siyoyo

Men’s senior squad:

Head Coach : Thierry Kita

Assistant Coaches : Coaches will be invited to be part of this team, and those who show commitment to being there will be selected as Ass. Coaches

Information provided by Matthew Skade

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Men’s Super League: CPUT vs. Vets

It went down to the wire in this one but CPUT did more than enough to be crowned champions for 2010. The first game loss was a wake up call and the players heeded the call. The Vets must be congratulated for their efforts and for keeping the younger generation honest by fighting to the last game and the last whistle. Final score: CPUT 67 – 60 Vets.

Congrats to the CPUT boys and to Coach Kimathi Toboti for guiding them to the final hurdle in his first year with the team.

Ladies Super League: CPUT vs. Montana Vikings

CPUT ruled the roost on this one too. After going down in Game 2, it was game faces for the Cats ladies in Game 3 to bring their season to a successful end. Vikings have soldiered on the whole season with a squad of less than 10 players and the fact that they gave the favorites a run for their money speaks volume for their commitment and heart. Final score: CPUT 51 – 40 Montana Vikings

Congrats goes to the CPUT ladies for pulling through in Game 3, the team can only go from strength to strength and the chemistry can only get better in 2011.

Men Division 2: UWC vs Montana Vikings 3rd team

After losing Game 1, the UWC team regrouped and decided to put this potential upset to bed with a sterling performance in Game 2 and finish it off in Game 3. The boys felt that Game 1 was a shock to their system and they had to redeem any trust their fans had in them by putting this series to bed in convincing fashion. The Montanan Vikings Team was just happy to compete at this level with most of their players having a part time role as far as basketball practice and playing is concerned. Final Score: UWC 78 – 58 Montana Vikings

Congrats to UWC for finishing the season in style…

Article by Victor Shakineza

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Jump ball

Already a Game down after the Vets exploits in Game 1, CPUT had to step it up or go home. So they decided to step it up a notch and ran riot doing it.

There was the return of Junior Ongenda to the Cats starting line up after he missed the first game of this 3 game series. This seemed to give them an additional scoring option with his experience and for the first 5 minutes of the game the Vets were struggling to get a basket. It was all CPUT… But then Vets decided to take the game to their big man inside, namely G. Thompson who was having a field day in the post.

Strong side

CPUT were playing as a unit throughout executing both on defense and on the offensive end. They were playing at a good tempo with a lot more control than they had in the first game and they made sure that whatever the referees decided down the line wouldn’t affect them come the final whistle. At the end of the first half the Vets were still in it with a shout with only 4 points in it.

Cats Huddle

From chatting to Cats coach Kimathi Toboti, he felt that if the team was going to win this game, they needed to win the third quarter. In game 1, The Vets had taken this quarter by 9 points and by the time the Cats wanted to catch up in the 4th it was too late. So the emphasis was on a big performance in the 3rd Quarter and his boys didn’t disappoint. Junior set the tone by opening the quarter with a massive 3 pointer, then Brendan Mettler followed this up with 2 quick baskets and not to be outdone by the rest of the “Triple threat combo”, Vincent Ntunja added another quick 2 baskets and before you knew it the Vets were 11 points down. E. Norman had another solid performance in this quarter by being aggressive and making key plays when required. With Zoran Slavkovic injured after the first half and their offence running out of option, The Vets couldn’t match the intensity of the Cats. They tried to go back inside but by that time the bigs were tired and their decision making was suspect. Quarter ended with CPUT leading 63 to the Vets 46.

Crossed?

With the 3rd Quarter out of the way it was a matter of maintaining what they had and the Cats did that with aplomb. Whenever it looked like the Vets were about to make a run, this was shortlived with a defense stop or a crucial basket and it was a total team effort with regular rotation. The fact that no one got fouled out for the Cats speaks volume for this victory. The last man standing for the Vets was Matthew Skade who had his best quarter of the game but it was in vain as the CPUT took game 3 with ease.

With the Vets having played 5 intense game already in the post season and some of their teammates a bit battle weary, you wonder if they are going to be able to raise their game like they did in Game 3  of the semi finals against the Montana Vikings. CPUT have the momentum now and they should wrap this up on Wednesday night at home at 2oh00.

Scores breakdown by quarter:

Q1: CPUT 16 – 11 Vets

Q2: CPUT 36 – 33 Vets

Q3: CPUT 63 – 46 Vets

Q4: CPUT 82 – 64 Vets

In other results:

UWC vs Montana Vikings

UWC got their own back against Montana Vikings 3rd team to force a game 3. This time it was a one sided affair with UWC running riot over their part-timers opponents.  UCT’s 2nd team game out on top again against The Eagles to take the division 2 title.

Article by Victor Shakineza

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Thesline Davids

So how do you describe heart, commitment and dedication? Think about it.

CPUT just had to win this game to take the Ladies 2010 WCBA trophy and they had the team to achieve that goal. They seemed to be heading in the right direction after the first quarter with a 6 point lead.

The issue with CPUT is not that they don’t have the quality to compete with the Vikings, on the contrary, they have loads of good players but they don’t play as a unit most of the times. It seems as if the players get into this one pass one shot mode when the game gets close and this leads to bad shot selection, bad decision and works to their disadvantage.

CPUT Time out

After their first game win over the Vikings ladies who had led during the majority of the game only to let it slip in the fourth, coach Matthew Skade was hoping that his team would come out with the same intensity of that last quarter. He welcomed back Sashai Yhukutwana in the squad for game 2 to add some of her experience to the team.

Court side

Vikings on the other hand relied on their team spirit and the on-court leadership of Thesline Davids to get them to the finish line.  They kept taking the ball to the baskets like they had done the previous game but this time they maintained it throughout the game not just for 3 quarters. Thesline chief partner in crime again was Veranique Samuels who has a deadly 3 point shot as part of her arsenal. And the score at the half told its own story with the game tied at 31 apiece.

In the 3rd quarter, Vikings put in some extra effort on the back of Thesline and Veranique while CPUT was relying Sasha to keep them within touching distance. But this quarter again showed how important your free throws are with most points scored from the charity line.

Ayanda Vumazonke

With CPUT running out of players with Sasha fouled out alongside team captain Ayanda Vumazonke, the other players couldn’t rally enough in the last quarter to catch up to the Vikings despite their best efforts. There was no cohesion in the end and the girls looked a bit flat. Vikings were just feeding off the energy of Thesline and when the final whistle blew you could see their delight at this “upset”.

Game 3 should be an interesting proposition and to answer the question at the top, you will find all those attributes in Montana Vikings star player, Thesline Davids. With all odds stuck up against her team, she stepped up to the plate and delivered big time.

Score breakdown by quarter:

Q1: Montanan Vikings 10 – 16 CPUT

Q2: Montanan Vikings 31 – 31 CPUT

Q3: Montanan Vikings 41 – 45 CPUT

Q4: Montanan Vikings 64 – 57 CPUT (final score)

Article by Victor Shakineza

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In what is fast becoming the story of the season, Vets have gone and done it again by upsetting CPUT in Game 1 of the WCBA final. In what should have been a mismatch in terms of physical ability turned out to be a mismatch in terms of mental ability and in this case it was all about experience.

The Vets who are captained and managed by Zoran Slavkovic came into this final with no expectation and with the underdog tag attached to their necks. As soon as the referee tossed the game up for the jumpball and both teams got into some sort of rhythm you could see that the Vets just wanted to keep it close to have a chance in the end and this game plan worked perfectly.

From the onset, CPUT tried to set the tempo of the game by playing an aggressive style of basketball with speed that seemed to unsettle the Vets. But for every effort they put in on their offence, CPUT gave it away by not hustling on defense, giving away second chance opportunities and easy 3 pointers that would come back and hurt them in the end. The CPUT coach, Kimathi Toboti, went into the game with a clear game plan but as soon as the players got on the court and started seeing the headlines that game plan went out of the window. The surprising thing was that CPUT didn’t press the Vets that much in this game and maybe this was due to the amount of fouls the referees were calling early on.

Vets point guard (6), Stewart Morgan, was having another good day at the office, hitting 3 pointers, dishing up assists and controlling the flow of the game. For the Vikings, Brendan Mettler was trying to get his long range shot going early but it wasn’t falling for him but when he took it to the hoop he always found a way to score.

At Half -time it was a close affair with one point in it and the longer this remained, you felt that the Cats were walking into the Vets trap. HT score: Vets 36 – 35 CPUT.

The 3rd quarter started with the Vets making sure that CPUT didn’t get into their breaks easily and they were making the better decisions by going inside to their big man who was doing a lot of damage. Philani Ncube (14) scored most of his point in this quarter and he was out-rebounding the Cats forward on both ends. CPUT players went out of team mode to self mode with everyone trying to find a solution to this Vets onslaught but this led to poor decision making and a bit of frustration from some of the players. Vets 40+ year old players, Zoran Slavkovic and Aggrey Ofula made some telling contribution for their team with Zoran shooting some big 3 pointers and Aggrey fighting under the boards like a young buck.

In the 4th quarter, Brendan Mettler (CPUT 12), who seems to be picked on by the referees during every game nowadays was fouled out but E. Norman (CPUT 6) seemed to step out of the shadows and keep his team in it with some good outside shooting, defense and a bit of fire. They went full court press which led to some turnovers until the Vets started passing the ball around very well using up some clock and sealing the game. In the end Vets took the game by 4 points.

Scores breakdown by quarter:

Q1: Vets 21 – 15 CPUT

Q2: Vets 36 – 35 CPUT

Q3: Vets 55 – 45 CPUT

Q4: Vets 70 – 66 CPUT (final score)

In other results:

Montana Vikings M2 team upset UWC in the M2 league final with a team that rarely practices and just plays for the sake of enjoyment and the love of the game while UCT 2nd team defeated Eagles in the M1 league final.

Article by Victor Shakineza

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The Vikings were relying on the hot shooting of their number 5, Veranique Samuels who was lighting it up from the 3 point line in the first half. For every 2 points that CPUT put up, she would respond with a 3 pointer for the vikings. They had the momentum going into the 2nd half with a 6 point. CPUT were a bit disjointed and were not passing the ball well enough to be called a team. It was one pass, one shot stuff at times and they were being very careless on defense by letting Vikings drive to the hoop at will.

At the start of the 3rd Quarter, CPUT came out with a bit more intensity on the defensive side and this led to plenty of fastbreak opportunities. They started eating into the Vikings lead and by the end they had cut it down to 2 points. They were starting to get some good rebounds through CPUT 15 and also had a 3 point threat of their own with CPUT 14 heating up from beyond the arc.

CPUT started the 4th quarter like they had finished the 3rd with plenty of pressing on the ball and converting off turnovers. Vikings on the other hand were running out of gas and when their captain got fouled out it became a huge mountain to climb. In the end CPUT romped to victory with a double digit margin and now we look forward to Game 2 to see if they can seal the series up at UCT.

Article by Victor Shakineza

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With Age not being on their side, The Vets controlled the tempo of the game throughout while the Vikings were finding it hard to get anything going. Vets showed a lot of control in their play by speeding up the game when they needed to and using the clock when they knew they had a good lead. Their ability to shoot the ball under pressure or go for that vital rebound proved to be their strongest asset with a lot of the players showing amazing courage to compete against a Montana Vikings team considered by many to have the best squad.

For the Vikings, it looked as if the players were not interested or were not mentally ready for the game, maybe that 20 point victory in Game 2 gave them a false sense of security as far as the outcome was concerned. There were a few good moments in the game for some of their players but collectively this game passed them by. They couldn’t find their shooting range all night and this led to a lack of confidence in their offence.  By half time the score was Vets 38 – 28 Montana Vikings

The tone of the game was set by the point guards of both teams with the Vets relying on their ability to get second chance opportunity through their hustle play on the boards. Meanwhile, the Vikings point guard was creating opportunities for his team to score but the players were not being aggressive enough to attack the hoop. With nobody willing to take responsibility, this led to a numerous number of turnovers which led to silly fouls being committed and frustration with the officials.

The Vets managed to maintain their 10 point lead throughout the second half of the game and even when Vikings threatened to make a run, they would shut it down quickly with a huge 3 pointer or by forcing their opponents to make unforced errors.

Final score: Vets 56 -46 Montana Vikings.

Article by Victor Shakineza

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In the Ladies division, no upsets here; Montana Vikings will meet CPUT Cats as predicted.

Upcoming fixtures:

Article by Victor Shakineza

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In the ladies division, all eyes will be on the CPUT cats who have been the form team of the season with Future Stars trying to stake a claim in the mix to make it to the final. Prediction: CPUT vs Montana Vikings final

Here are the fixtures for the playoffs:

Here are the leagues final standings for all age groups:

WCBA League Standings 2010

If you are in the area, go out there and support basketball.

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