The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
THE story of Craig and Vivienne Manuel is not your typical “Love and Basketball” fairytale, although it borrows a few similarities from the 2000 flick from which the term is borrowed.
The head of the Manuel household, Craig, is a man who needs little or next to no introduction, given the man is an Arcadia Bucs legend.
Craig Manuel has been financing and coaching the club up until recently when he decided to step down and hand over the reins to his wife Vivienne.
“We run our own business and the demands have become more and more since the pandemic,” said Craig on his decision to step down.
“We lost crucial staff, with some of them leaving for greener pastures out of the country.
“Training someone new to handle the business would be difficult, and so I decided to take on all the work myself.
“This left little, next to no time for basketball,” he said.
The decision to hand over the reins to his wife was a no-brainer.
“Viv has the passion and desire to be a very successful coach, not to mention she is a true scholar of the game.
“Last year she ran our developmental side, and did extremely well,” Craig said.
To her credit, Vivienne did not disappoint and made an instant splash on her debut.
She defeated Roderick Takawira’s Cameo side 52-36 in what would go down as an historic match during the opening week of the Harare Basketball League (HBA).
In simply leading her charges to the floor, she made history as she became the first female coach to oversee a local basketball club.
History will also indicate that she did so by beating someone who some regard as the G.O.A.T, or Greatest Of All Time, as the expression goes, in Roderick Takawira.
“It was truly an honour to share the side-line with Roderick Takawira, he is a true legend of the game,” Viv said of the match-up.
“He has achieved so much in the game of basketball, and I have had so many congratulatory messages from the basketball fraternity since then.
“I am truly humbled”.
However, this is not a story about Vivienne alone.
There is an argument to be made that the Manuels could very well be Zimbabwe’s true first basketball family.
The couple, who have been married for well over 23 years, have quite an interesting tale to tell.
“Craig and I met in 1994, but got married in 1998 and started a family in 2000,” Viv said.
“It is not your typical ‘Love and Basketball’ story, as Craig and I played for rival teams.
“He was at Arcadia Bucs and I played for Trackers, and there was a strong rivalry between the two franchises.
“Trackers, of course, always came out tops,” she said. Despite coming from rival clubs, like a typical Westside story, the two were drawn to each other due to their love of basketball and the Arcadia area.
And no one embodies that more than Vivienne.
“When I think of Arcadia, I am reminded of days as a youth during which going to watch games at Arcadia was just priceless,” she said.
“It was the place-to-be, back in the nineties.
“The atmosphere at the courts was electric, and the talent from the teams was amazing.
“It was always jam-packed with spectators; and remember that if you got to the venue late, you would have to stand.
“There would be no place to sit,” she said.
This is what she hopes to bring back to Arcadia – the good old days.
While under no illusions that it will be an easy task, Viv believes she is the woman for the job.
“While I know it is not going to be easy, I am up for the task,” said the former Hellaz and Trackers star.
“I have my five C’s to success philosophy.
“These are Commitment, Communication, Caring, Competitiveness and Consistency,” said Viv, who attained her FIBA Level 1 Coaching Licence back in 2019.
The couple are not the only Manuels that have taken to basketball.
Having started their family back in 2000, the two have three children together, namely Andrea (21), Tristan and Paige.
All three have taken an interest in the sport, with Craig going so far as to say “basketball is a way of life and it is very much integrated into my family”.
“We live, eat and dream basketball, and I hope to someday have one of my children plying their trade on the big stage,” said Viv.
“Our eldest is 21 (Andrea) and is a Professional Chef, while Tristan is a very keen and talented basketball player.
“Our youngest daughter (Paige) also likes basketball, but she is still learning the sport.
“We have an uncle (Roy) who is so passionate about the game.
“He still plays to this day, despite being in his 60s, and is very fit and gives us all a hard time on the court”.
While it remains to be seen how far the younger Manuels will go in the sport, they are sure to have big shoes to fill.
With Craig retiring more to the family Printing, Signage and Corporate wear business, it’s all about Vivienne Manuel for now.
