Inaugural varsity basketball tournament kicks off at Wits
There’s an air of excitement around the Madibaz Sport Basketball camp as the team prepares to take to the court in the inaugural Varsity Basketball tournament which kicks off on Friday.
While fixtures get underway at 3pm when Tuks University and Vaal University of Technology meet at the Wits Multi-Purpose Hall, the Nelson Mandela University side will be looking to get their campaign off to a winning start when they do battle against the University of Johannesburg at 4:30pm on Friday afternoon.
Madibaz Sport Basketball manager Bernard Petersen said there was an air of excitement in the Nelson Mandela University outfit’s camp as they looked forward to demonstrating their ability on another level.
“All of our players have competed in the University Sport South Africa weeks and the players are well prepared and eager to tackle the challenge presented by this event.
“The team is feeling confident and our preparations have been focused. We have set ourselves the goal of making at least the top four,” Petersen said.
He explained that the experience of players like Elton Mothibi and captain Sikumbuzo Dlamini would have important roles to play during the tournament.
“Elton has competed in the Basketball National League and is a very good mentor for the young players.
“Sikumbuzo, who has played alongside Elton for the past few years, knows what to expect and he has a good ability to keep the team motivated on and off the court.”
This weekend’s fixtures, which will be contested over four rounds, will also pit the Port Elizabeth side against VUT on Saturday morning (9am) before tackling Wits in the afternoon (4:30pm).
Their final match of the weekend will see them take to the court first against Tshwane University of Technology in a game to be televised live.
He felt that the strength of the leagues in Gauteng would make teams such as Wits and Vaal University of Technology the strongest contenders for the title.
“They do have a rigorous basketball programme, competing in various leagues.
“We don’t have that sort of experience, but I believe the youngsters will put up their hands and compete.
The curtain comes down on the competition next weekend with the final to be held on October 14.
More information on fixtures, logs and results can be found at varsitysportssa.com/basketball-fixtures.
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