Botswana Basketball Association (BBA) has assembled a strong contingent of basketballers in preparations for the much touted African Union Sports Council (AUSC) region 5 games which Botswana will play host in December. The association has already hosted their first weeklong camp to select the potential players who will make the cut in the final squad that will represent the country end of year.
A total of 85 players reported for camp comprising of 45 boys and 40 girls across all regions in the country. After the first camp the coaches selected 15 boys and 15 girls who proved outstanding in basketball techniques. BBA officials say they intend to host a series of training camps prior to AUSC Region 5 games so that players and coaches can bond. The final selection camp will take place in November where the final 12 players from each category will be chosen to represent the country.
In an interview with Shalosh Matsetse who is one of the coaches involved in the selection of players, he explained that they organised morning and afternoon training sessions to emphasise skills and technical ability amongst the players.
When asked how the selection of 85 players came about he said, “BBA assigned Botswana Integrated Sports Association (BISA) coaches to select outstanding players. They used the normal criteria of basic fundamentals of basketball techniques to determine which players will make a cut in the team.”
He observed that, “The players are in good shape and their commitment to sport is impressive. They have shown high level of skills and simultaneous techniques which are key areas in basketball players. The important things which we were looking for during selection were basic techniques,” said Matsetse.
The U16 Boys coach is Trynos Moyo assisted by Ditiro Mothibedi whilst the U16 Girls are being coached by James Kalebwe assisted by Kesenogile Masita. BBA is expecting to host a similar training camp during the independence holidays end of September.
The AUSC Region 5 games are staged every two years.
