Fourways basketball player Yanda Peter (16) has recently represented South Africa at the Federation of Basketball Association’s regional youth camp in Mali.
The camp is an elite programme created to identify and develop the best young African basketball players. It is supervised by experts as they work on the technical aspects of basketball.
Yanda has been playing basketball since Grade 5 at St Johns’s College. According to his proud dad, Luyanda Peter, he did not wish to do anything else after his newly found passion.
“He played soccer and tennis at school but things became different when he started playing basketball because he would spend hours shooting hoops in the driveway. But went it escalated to reading basketball magazines and watching NBA games, that is how I discovered his talent and began to feed his passion.”
In 2022, Yanda was selected for the South African U16 men’s basketball team to represent the country at the African Union Sports Council. He walked away with a bronze medal after an outstanding performance at the game.
He said the three-day camp was an exciting opportunity for him. “I have learnt how to play with many other people, getting to know them and teamwork. I have also learnt how to improve my skills to a better level.
“I think this camp is good for a lot of people around me. It was also a great opportunity for young players from the African continent to be introduced to the game in a very good sense and around good coaches.”
He told us what he enjoyed the most about the camp was when he learnt how to improve on his dribbling and shooting.
“I am looking forward to my first open season and being the best player I can possibly become.”
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