The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
SAFELY nestled within the confines of his new base somewhere in Mashonaland West, Farai Tumbare sits down to flip through his phone and responds to questions on his legacy, contributions to basketball in the 1990s and the state of the sport today.
The 42-year-old called time on his career in 2012 and his detachment, both physical and figurative, from Zimbabwe basketball has been apparent.
Tumbare is one of the surviving members of the “golden age” of the domestic game.
A centre-piece of the all-conquering Cameo outfit coached by Roderick Takawira that went for three straight seasons winning both the Harare Basketball League and National League titles (2004 to 2006), Tumbare also has the added bonus of having collected every Most Valuable Player accolade available.
Instead of being content, the Zimbabwe icon looks on with a heavy heart.
“I have been keeping a close eye on the Zimbabwe basketball scene, but not so much on the playing scene. Instead my area of focus has been administrative,” said Tombstone, as Tumbare is affectionately known in basketball circles.
“There are so many questions to ask, as to why is basketball still at amateur level, and why do we still struggle to get proper sponsorship?
“The problems currently bedevilling our sport are not the cause of one person, but the cries for change.
“We need a more holistic approach to how we run our basketball,” he said.
Tumbare is really the last of a dying breed.
He played during a time when the connection between player and fan was not as intrusive as the social media age, and this largely explains why gaps exist in his profile.
For instance, not many know that Tumbare, once upon a time, was an avid chess, darts and table tennis player.
Were it not for the timely intervention of his sister, he even fancied a career as a table tennis player.
“One of the things that surprises people to this very day is that I sing and have competitions with my church choir (Anglican), I have a bit of an inclination towards preaching and, most importantly, could have had a career in table tennis had it not been for basketball.
“Basketball was not my first love, I dabbled in sports like chess and table tennis, and only started playing after my sister suggested that my height and built would serve well in basketball.
“She actually bought me my first ball and the rest was history soon after that,” he said.
On the origins of the Tombstone nickname, Tumbare said: “It is a long and funny story.
“Well, for starters my original nickname was ‘Barkley’ after NBA legend Charles Barkley who, like me, was a power forward and someone I looked up to.
“However, when I went to Cameo, there were two Farais, me and another player by the name Farai Makurumidze, and so people just started calling me Tumbare.
“With time, Tumbare became Tombs for short and . . . it graduated to ‘Tombstone’.
“It signified the teams and players we beat.”
He retired from the game to pursue a BSc in Social Sciences and an MSc in Humanitarian Logistics and Management.
Currently, he is studying for a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA).
“I initially took some time off to pursue my studies; and while there was still basketball after I finished, life took control of the wheel.
“I needed a steady job, started a family and have barely looked back,” he said.
The Mabvuku-Tafara alumni has no regrets about his life choices, and holds his time at South Central, Harare City Hornets and Cavaliers with the highest regard.
“While I achieved the most at Cameo, I hold my time at Hornets and South Central with the highest esteem.
“These were my first teams and paved the way for me to be the player I became at Cameo, and we scored some huge and more wins at both teams, mostly over competitive A-league sides.”
He refuses to be drawn in the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate.
“While flattered that my name carries such weight, I have a different take to the whole GOAT conversation.
“Basketball is team sport and I take it in the literal sense of a buffalo herd, in which it moves only as fast as its slowest member.
“I find it difficult for one person to take the credit for any type of success, and would rather credit the grafters that defend, rebound and mark instead of just scoring three-pointers and dunking on people.
“But I still get chuffed when my name is brought up in such conversations,” he said.
Together with some of his former classmates such as Mike Nhira, Langton Moyo, Eric Banda, Spencer Nyamadzawo, Raymond Madzudzo, Justin Foroma and Steven Mudawarima, Tumbare is now ready to give back.
“We played basketball at the highest level, achieving varied success, but we are students of the low-flying heroes’ concept, which dictates that when one achieves his goals, and scores some modicum of success, it is their responsibility to give back and inspire.
“This is where we are at as the 90s basketball class, and the goal is to provide the youngsters with better opportunity than those we received when we were their age.
“We need to do as much as we can, either through sponsorship, coaching, as administrators or even mentoring, to put Zimbabwe basketball back on the map again,’’ Tumbare said.
