Sport has become one of the best ways to keep the youth off the streets and the current drive to revive basketball in Alexandra is doing just that.
Harry Nakeng, coach of Alexandra basketball club, A-Town, has been playing the sport since high school. Nakeng said coaching was important because it gave him a chance to give back to the community. “Basketball saved me because in the 90s Alexandra was a rough place to live in,” Nakeng said.
A-Town has two teams – one for girls and boys aged 10-19. The girls play games on Saturdays at the University of Johannesburg and will take part in the school championships on 2 October at Highlands North Boys’ High School. The boys team usually plays friendly games.
The club also runs a support programme, Assist, in which players receive extra lessons, especially in mathematics and English. The players have tutors and mentors from the Wits University who give them lessons at Pholoshong Secondary School. “We want to bring sports and education together,” Nakeng concluded.
