Mavericks to play in Africa basketball finals

SOUTHERN Mavericks women’s basketball team will have another dance at the Africa Women’s Cup finals in Angola next month after the Federation of International Basketball (Fiba) gave them a wild card entry.

The Zimbabwean team failed to secure the top two automatic qualification slots at the just ended Fiba Zone VI Club Championships in Botswana.

Mavericks won three and lost three of their six games in Gaborone, finishing fourth in the overall standings. However, their spirited performances caught the eye of the basketball federation that has decided to give the Bulawayo team a wild card entry to compete at the premier club basketball tournament in Africa.

Southern Mavericks general manager Hubert Bhebhe has hailed the move by Fiba and described the opportunity as learning platform for his side.

“We are very excited with the prospect of playing the best teams in Africa. This is another opportunity to learn and compete against the best in Africa,” said Bhebhe.

“Certainly these are positive signs for basketball in the country. We have to work on doing things consistently on the court and these include things like shooting, running transition and floor defence. Basically we expect much improvement from the Botswana championships. We learnt a lot of things that will help us going into the Africa Cup. — @innocentskizoe