The Sunday Mail
RISING basketball star Noah Penduka is hoping to carry his fine form into the Under-20 African Union Sports Council Region V Games.
With the games set to be held in his home town of Bulawayo from 4-15 December, the 19-year-old believes the stage is set for him to shine in national colours.
Penduka is making a habit of collecting the Most Valuable Player gong at every tournament he plays in and this year he has already done it at the Bodwell High School invitational tournament in Canada, February’s Bob@90 basketball tournament and the Zimbabwe National Youth Games hosted by Masvingo in August.
He wants to add the Region V award to the growing list.
“The MVP award is given to a player judged to be encouraging his or her team mates especially when the chips are down.
“He is supposed to push the team by also scoring. This is what I have been doing in some of the games I have played and am working hard so that I will do the same at the Region V Games.
“I know my family will be following all the action and most of my friends are expecting me to play the game of my life and that brings some pressure on me. However, I believe that as a team we will make it,” he said.
National basketball team coach Tawanda Chitsinde describes Penduka as a leader.
“He is a leader, one of the best players we have. Apart from being a good defensive player, he is also a scoring machine which makes him a complete player,” Chitsinde said.
The coach also spoke up his team’s chances of clinching a medal ahead of traditional basketball powerhouses such as Mozambique and Angola.
“Ever since we started participating in the games we have never been knocked out in the group stages and now that we are playing at home our aim is naturally to walk away with a medal,” he said.
Zimbabwe is expected to compete with teams from 14 other countries namely: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, the Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Tanzania and Mauritius.
Ten countries have so far confirmed their participation with DRC, Madagascar, Tanzania and Mauritius yet to do so.
