The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
The Basketball Union of Zimbabwe is now searching for a foreign technical director as a solution to the country’s consistent failure on the international scene.
The senior national team last week failed to qualify for this year’s AfroBasket Championships after finishing last in a three-team tournament that was precipitated by Mali’s withdrawal as host for the finals.
They went down to the Central African Republic (55-79) and Chad (45-57). Earlier on, Zimbabwe had lost out to Mozambique and South Africa during the regional qualifiers and play-offs respectively.
The Addison Chiware-led BUZ is now looking beyond the borders for a remedy and contact has been made with the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) for guidance. “We have held preliminary talks with Fiba, seeking assistance in the search for a technical director,” said Chiware. “We have put down specific criteria where we want the post to go to a foreign and seasoned person, with Fiba helping us come up with a list of viable candidates. “Based on the talks we have had so far, the program will be run under the auspices of Fiba and the mother body will foot the bulk of the bill while we also chip in where we can,” he said.
The decision to bring on board a new technical director has been prompted by the failure of local coaches to bring about success on the international stage, with the latest guilty parties being the duo of Emmanuel Mukandi and Innocent Sithole.
The two were in charge of the country’s latest futile attempt to qualify for this year’s AfroBasket Championships. Mukandi was in charge of the preliminary rounds of the qualifiers, which included a two-match regional play-off against Mozambique.
Zimbabwe lost both games 68-80 and 65-85. The team then traveled to South Africa, for a play-off, after both teams had emerged the best runners-up from their respective groups.
Disaster then struck for Mukandi as the Bulawayo-based gaffer failed again to lead the team to victory. While the country did manage a 70-68 win, during the second of the two-match series, damage had already been done during the first game when the team gave up a 20-point lead and went on to lose 67-74.
The performance allegedly cost the Giants coach his job, with Sithole taking over on the eve of the team’s departure for last weekend’s three-team qualifiers.
The new technical director is set to work with the local coaches, across all age-groups, and pass his knowledge and expertise. “As you might be aware, this is an election year and as such we are in no position to make lasting appointments in the coaching department.
“That is for the executive that comes in office when we hold our elections in December,” said a source privy to BUZ business. “The senior national team will not be in action until sometime in 2019, so a long term game plan is what is required,” said the source.
