Snr women basketball team resumes camp

ZIMBABWE senior women’s basketball team resumed camp yesterday in Bulawayo as they step up their preparations for the AfroBasket qualifiers early next month in Maputo, Mozambique.

The competition will run from March 3 to 12.

National teams’ general manager, Charmaine Chamboko, said the camp will include foreign-based players that were not part of first phase of preparations last week.

“This is a full camp with players from Zambia joining the local players. The team will then go into camp next weekend, again in Bulawayo until departure, which is set for 1 March by road to Maputo,” said Chamboko.

The local players met for the first time last week in Harare.

They will be joined by Dorcas Marondera and Mary Chawayipira, who are both based in Zambia.

Coach, Erinos Katsaruware said they are moving a gear up with a friendly match against a Bulawayo select team pencilled in for today.

“Our focus area, we will continue conditioning but the key thing is we want to see them in a real match. We have got a friendly against Bulawayo select tomorrow (today).

“We are supposed to submit the final team by the end of the camp,” said Katsaruware.

Zimbabwe will join Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia.

Angola have already qualified and the other participating countries will fight for the remaining slot as only two countries will proceed to the finals in Mali from September 15 to 30.

However, it’s not going to be an easy task for the Zimbabwean side with Mozambique, one of the powerhouses in the region, also eyeing a ticket to the finals.

“We will do our best. We would love to qualify for the AfroBakest but I would lie if I say Mozambique are walk overs but we will do our best,” Katsaruware said.

Zimbabwe are fielding both men and women teams in the qualifiers.

The men’s side is taking a break this weekend.

For the men’s competition, the teams have been divided into two groups and Zimbabwe are in Group B together with Botswana, Mozambique and Madagascar.

Zimbabwe will host Group B matches in Harare from March 19 to 25.

Zambia are scheduled receive Group A teams who include Angola, Seychelles and South Africa in Lusaka from March 12 to 18.

Three countries progress to the finals set for August, in Congo.

Zimbabwe Women Provisional Squad: Yolanda Matayataya, Geraldine Chibonda, Stabile Ngandini, Sibongile Mkandla, Melissa Majonga, Emma Makoni, Francisca Sekete, Getrude Mapiye, Mary Chawayipira, Dorcas Marondera, Charity Mucucuti, Margaret Kanyimo, Alexandra Maseko, Kudakwashe Dzawanda.