93 92 Basketball Kearsney basketball continues to grow and gain momentum and traction amongst the boys of the College. Several new academic staff were appointed this year and have become involved with sports. They added value to the programme and helped us move it forward. The College also recognises that basketball has become a mass participation sport, with up to 22 teams being fielded every Saturday. Two new outdoor courts have been built, meaning we can now utilise seven courts for practice each day, which has helped to alleviate some of the pressure on the existing courts and allowed more effective coaching. We were also blessed to be able to call on experienced coaches for our A teams, which has often given us a competitive edge. Coaches Khayani Nzama, Andile Ntshingila, and Mfanafuthi Ntombela are among the brightest and most knowledgeable coaches involved in school programmes. Miss Dineo Fihlela has also added a great deal of value by assisting with running the technical aspects of the programme. We were successful this year in the junior age groups, winning two tournaments: the U14 Jenny Orchard tournament hosted by Maritzburg College in the first term, the same team finishing second in the Michaelhouse U14 Tournament and winning the inaugural U15 Home Turf Hoops tournament hosted by Northwood. This bodes well for the programme over the next few years if these players can go on and improve their skills and continue this positive trajectory. The 1st team was awarded the spirit shield at the St John’s Tournament for the team displaying the greatest character, voted by the coaches and organisers of this prestigious tournament. Kearsney hosted two big tournaments, the 10th edition of the Independent Schools Stayers’ Basketball Tournament (ISSBT). Twenty teams participated in the A division, 14 in the B division and 12 in the primary school division. It was a huge undertaking, and the basketball staff showed they could take on enormous challenges and deal with the intense pressure of organising an event of this magnitude. We then hosted a tournament for the 12 best government schools, and the staff members once again stepped up to run this tournament effectively, ensuring that teams were well looked after and enjoyed themselves. We also started an initiative to play the Old Boys. This has become a much-anticipated event that will draw attention as more players enter university basketball programmes and play in the South African professional league. Basketball is currently in a healthy state, and it will continue to grow as the boys buy into the sport’s ethos and expound the programme’s values of passion, pride, hard work, and family. Back row: Sinqobile Buthelezi, Reabetswe Sithole, Sipho Majiza, Gregor Campbell, Andile Nomvete, Motheo Ramoriting Front row: Luca Borrageiro, Mr Khayelihle Nzama, Oliver Brazier, Njabulo Ngcobo, Mr Myles Delport, StJohn Vallance BASKETBALL 1ST TEAM 1st Team Basketball The first team had a good season despite a poor start with a massive defeat to Michaelhouse (away). That loss galvanised the team to work hard to improve. They did that by performing well at the Jenny Orchard Invitational Tournament, finishing a credible third place, beating the hosts, Maritzburg College, on their home courts. They could have caused an upset by beating St Charles College in the semi-finals but missed out by three points, having their opportunities to win the game. At the St John’s Tournament, they were awarded the spirit shield for the team that displayed the most character. They managed to knock out tournament favourites King Edward VII School (KES) but fell short in their semi-finals against St Charles, where they did not have enough left in the tank to beat the eventual winners of the tournament. The team was ably led by co-captain Njabulo Ngcobo, who quietly got on with things on the court, and Oliver Brazier, the brains of the operation, who provided the team’s motivation and drive. Both players will go on to play at the university level, and I am sure we will hear good things about them. The core players remained for the fourth term despite Ayanda Jackson and Iviwe Shongwe leaving to pursue their dream of playing basketball in the USA. We wish them all the best in this endeavour. The new team played well in both the ISSBT and KIBT, finishing 5th in the ISSBT and making it through to the quarterfinals for the first time in three years, but it fell short in a loss to perennial powerhouse St Alban’s College. In the KIBT, the team made the semifinals, losing to a powerful Northwood team and then losing a close match to DHS, who were motivated by tragically losing their long-time coach, Lethu Zulu, earlier in the year. Finishing 4th in a tournament featuring the best government schools was an achievement. The team then struggled for the remainder of their normal league fixtures. After beating Michaelhouse, they did not win another game despite very close finishes. They will have to learn from these losses and turn it around in the first term to become the competitive team they have shown they can be.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTc3MDU5Nw==