BASKETBALL DUO RETURNS FROM ZIMBABWE
Dolphins Basketball club’s Comfort Thuto Obuseng and Natasha Lopang have recently competed in Zimbabwe at the just ended Basketball Union of Zimbabwe (BUZ) National Club championship tournament.
This is one of the opportunities that Botswana Basketball Association prides itself in, as it bridges the gap within the sport and gives local players exposure. Technical Director at Botswana Basketball Association, Shaloh Matsetse describes BUZ National Club Championship as the biggest event in their sporting Calendar as it brings the top 2 teams from different provinces to compete for the national title. He says it humbled them as an association, when two players from Botswana were selected to be part of this tournament. “This forms part of the Athlete development as we strive to expose our players to different basketball cultures. The experience of playing against elite clubs will help their growth as players,” he says. Matsetse further says this means a growing relationship between the two federations of Botswana and Zimbabwe, in the basketball arena. He adds that, this is not the first time they have sent players to play for Zimbabwean teams and they take pride in this because it moulds local players’ confidence. We once sent Endie Kalebwa to play for the Bulawayo Lakers team,” he says.
For the enthusiastic player, Olopeng, this was once a lifetime opportunity that she is grateful for in the Basketball world. “Everything went well, and even beyond my expectations. It was a lovely experience because the best part about playing basketball is having to compete internationally and I feel so happy and delighted to have been given the opportunity to represent the country. I feel so motivated with the experience that I got, I wish to pass it onto my country. I think the best part about this whole tournament was finding out that top 2 teams for both Ladies and Men come from the different corners of Zimbabwe and meeting at Bulawayo, teams came all the way from places including; Harare, Gweru, Materu, which was really exciting. It is something that I hope our country could adapt and perhaps help the Botswana basketball to grow,” she says. I would also like to acknowledge how well organized the whole tournament was, as teams and officials were on time, and games started according to fixtures. This is something that we lack in Botswana, and I wish we could change it towards attaining a world class performance within the sporting code,” she adds.
Obuseng also notes that the experience was both a refresher and an eye opener to her. “I got to realize that Basketball in Botswana is still behind as many gaps were exposed in terms of facilities and competitiveness. It was also a reminder of how far our Basketball could go if we harnessed collaborations with Zimbabwe basketball, and Southern Africa as a whole,” she says.
She further says that the opportunity gave her a chance to look at basketball through the ZImbabwe basketball lens. “I learnt their idea of tactics when it comes to the game, their methods of play, their ideas of game fundamentals and a lot more which had a slight contrast to what we perceive as great basketball,” she says. She is of the view that sharing what they learn from international platforms could indirectly help Botswana as a whole to experience the level of Basketball she has experienced, if those given a chance share these experiences.