The Sunday Mail
ZIMBABWE women’s basketball coach Clement Kufeketa has described participation at the on-going FIBA U16 Women’s African Championship as an eye-opener.
The local basketball players were the first casualties of the biennial tournament being held in Mozambique after suffering four straight defeats.
The team started their campaign with a 29-52 defeat to Angola and then followed it up with losses to defending champions Mali (22-112), Egypt (46-55) and Mozambique (38-49). And after watching his team fail to make it to the group stages, Kufeketa knows a lot of work needs to be done between now and the next edition in 2019.
“We might have lost all the matches, but we were punching above our weight.
“I would like to think the girls did well, all things considered, and gave us a performance that shows us where exactly we are in comparison to the other teams,” said the U16’s gaffer.
Kufeketa believes there is need to expose players to international competitions at an early age.
“What you need to understand is that it was the girls’ first time at such a big stage and the goal here was to learn as much as we could so as to be better prepared for future editions,” he said.
“It goes without saying that Zimbabwe, together with Angola and Mozambique, are the biggest basketball teams in Southern region.
“What we need to do now is start taking ourselves seriously and graduate from playing the likes of Zambia, South Africa, Seychelles, Botswana and Swaziland.
“We belong in the elite group, at age-group level at least, and I can honestly say I learnt more from the games played against Mali, Mozambique and Angola than I would learn in a lifetime of playing the aforementioned countries.”
The respected women’s basketball coach said the process to build the 2019 team should start now.
“The top countries take their basketball seriously, invest generously in grassroots basketball, and reap the benefits on a daily basis.
“The Mali team has been playing together since they were 12-year-olds, and the difference in experience was very evident when we played them.
“Mozambique, Angola and Mali have a huge chunk of the players plying their trade in Europe, all of which is facilitated by their unions.
“We need to borrow a leaf from these teams and start working away to the top,” he said.
