Rynfield, Benoni, resident Connor Liebenberg is heading to Senegal to join the NBA Africa Academy.
He earned his ticket after impressing at the FIBA Africa Youth Camp in Kenya in September. After his impressive outing, he was selected for the five-man all-star team and was named best shooter.
At the camp, the 2m-tall 16-year-old earned the praise of his campmates, who called him ‘the sniper’ because of his sharpshooting skills.
“What made me stand out in Kenya was my ability to shoot. I am big, and in basketball there aren’t many big shooters. The goal was to perfect my shooting and be known as the big man that can shoot.”
With his size 11 feet, the St Dunstan’s College learner knows he is stepping into terrifying territory, but he said he is ready for the challenge.
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“I hope to stay at the academy for three years to grow and develop. My goal is to play professional basketball, but the main one is to be able to look after my family.”
Connor has dabbled in rugby, cricket and athletics, but in 2019, he realised his true power lay in shooting hoops.
“When I did athletics and rugby, there was so much competitiveness. In basketball, you purely focus on yourself and improving your game to help the team get better.
“In rugby and athletics, it was difficult to adjust to becoming better. I realised if I try basketball, I can focus better at a particular goal, and that has made my life easier,” he said.
Connor’s father, Johan, said he was surprised by how quickly he adapted to the sport.
“In his last year of primary school, he broke his collarbone, so we thought he should try basketball. In 2019, he joined his school’s basketball team and flourished immediately.
“He also joined the Aelen Stars Basketball Academy, where they won the winter league in 2019.
They also took part in the Junior NBA Programme at St Stithians College, where he was really impressive,” said Johan.
In 2020, when Covid-19 halted sports activities, Connor was trained privately by Aelen Stars coach Michael Murerwa.
“In 2021, he dominated a lot of u-16 games, so we and some coaches created a profile for him and attracted a lot of attention. He then received the invitation to the FIBA camp.
“In December, Tshepo Tau of Ball In Motion told us there’s something in the pipeline for Connor.
We got a call from NBA Africa head of operations Franck Traore that Connor has been awarded a full scholarship by NBA Africa,” added Johan.
He said the goal is to get him into the college basketball system in the US, which is the key to the NBA.
“He’s studying through an online platform called Apex Virtual Learning and the courses will grant him NCAA approval.
“If he is approved, he will be able to join any college in the US. If he can get into a division one college, then it’s one step to the NBA.”
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