The Sunday Mail
JBC have already clearly spelt out their intentions to retain the title with just four rounds of matches having been played in the Harare Basketball League.
The defending champions have won all their four matches, scoring over 100 points in two of them.
New acquisition Tatenda “Dummy” Maturure has been the star performer, averaging 25.2 points a game.
Ably assisted by the seemingly ageless Tapuwa “TP” Mangunyana and giant forward Neville Chivhanganye, Maturure has been a joy to watch.
His arrival at JBC, from rivals Raiders, has brought a new dimension to the perennial campaigners’ play.
While JBC have gone about their business with swagger and are being touted as championship favourites defending national champions Cameo Sigauke are going about their own business quietly.
Despite not yet firing from all cylinders Cameo have managed to win all their opening four matches albeit with some hard labour.
Against the Mufakose-based Hustlaz the star-studded Cameo struggled for rhythm before eventually winning the game 56-49.
For a team that usually restricts its opponents to less than 40 points a game, Cameo gave away too many points in that clash and that must have given the rest of the teams in the league some hope.
Young Everisto Pasipamire, the 19-year-old from the University of Zimbabwe, has started all the games for Cameo but is yet to live up to his billing.
Veterans Eric Banda and Taurai Chitsinde, who have been the mainstay of Cameo for a number of years, have both been inspirational as usual, but the pair will be the first to admit that their team can do better.
It is, however, Agrippa Masvisvi, from whom so much is expected, who has been the biggest letdown for Cameo whose coach Langton Kudzai Moyo insists it’s just a matter of time before his team gels into a ruthless unit.
“We have won our opening matches, but there is no escaping the fact that the performances have not been up there. We need to continue working hard and keep on believing in each other as we fight for the Cameo cause,” said Moyo.
For Hustlaz the loss to Cameo is their only blemish this campaign and the youthful side will be seeking to put together a good run of form so as to keep in touch with the leading pair.
Raiders, meanwhile, are clearly struggling to come to terms with the departure of Maturure.
