The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
GREENSTARS Academy centre Getrude Mapiye describes her ascendance to the top of Zimbabwean basketball as the realisation of a prophecy made sometime last year by none other than NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo.
The two crossed paths when the 18-year-old was invited to attend the Basketball Without Borders camp in Angola.
“Last year, I was invited to join the Basketball Without Borders training camp in Angola and during one of our off days, this very tall man came to me and asked if we could chat for a bit,” recalls Mapiye.
Given that she was still a toddler when the Congolese-American made his mark with the Houston Rockets in the United States, Mapiye did not immediately recognise who he was.
What made a mark was the wisdom the 50-year-old imparted, and in particular a forecast the now retired Mutombo made about her career.
“I am not one of those people who devote countless hours on the television and did not immediately recognise who he was. When I eventually found out who he was, I was awe struck and chatted a bit.
“What stood out in particular was the kindness and prophecy he made about my career. He said, ‘You are tall, that is a fact, and a lot of people are going to say whatever they want to say about you. Ignore them and remember it all comes from envy.
This sport is going to take you places and expose you to new experiences while they stay in one place. I see big things in your future and we will meet again one day’.”
Now, as the lanky centre reflects on her journey to the top, she sees her chance encounter with Mutombo as the a defining moment in her career.
Only last weekend, the 18-year-old made history when she became the youngest player to be named Most Valuable Player of the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe National League.
This was after guiding Greenstars Academy, her home for the past three years, to their maiden national title – a feeling she describes as surreal.
“I still don’t have the right words to describe the feeling,” she says. “It has been a very difficult couple of years, during which we always seemed to come up short in this competition. We finally won, after three missed finals, and everyone in the camp is on cloud nine.”
It has been a tough road to the top that saw her four years ago earning a full scholarship to attend one of the top basketball-playing schools in Zimbabwe.
“I started playing basketball when I was in Grade Five at Baines Junior School,” says Mapiye. “Actually, basketball wasn’t my first choice in sport; I played a little netball and could have been very good.
“I was spotted by the then basketball coach, at the school, and he invited me to try out for the team. I was slow, very raw at first, but he worked with me and I improved. Soon, I managed to play for a few provincial teams, the Under-16 and 17 national teams, and this led to a full scholarship to join Girls High School.”
Still with some pre-pubescent fat, her 1,85m frame promised much and the scouts were not wrong.
But it was only after the encounter with Mutombo that Mapiye decided the time had come to live up to her potential. “I used to eat and eat a lot of fatty and fast foods, which slowed down my game. Now, I have a new diet. I have reduced the starch in my diet, strictly eat white meat only. I also keep my meals as light as possible.
“I run a lot during the season, and more so when we are off-season. I have shed a lot of the excess weight, run faster now and have even grown a couple more inches. Right now, I think I am roughly 1,92m tall and it has helped my game tremendously,” she says.
With the national title and an MVP accolade in the bag, Mapiye wants to take her basketball career abroad, with two scholarship offers already on the table.
“I have been offered two scholarships from colleges in the United States and Germany. The only problem is my grades, something I am currently working on improving.
“Should things pan out, my heart is in Germany.
I love the culture there and believe my talents will be better suited for basketball in Europe,” she says.
