UJ end 9-year trophy drought
AUCKLAND PARK – Orange confetti falls from the sky as UJ celebrate their basketball trophy.
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) men’s basketball team ended a long wait for success when they took the honours at the University Sport South Africa (USSA) tournament in Cape Town.
The orange army headed into the final game of the tournament with the University of KwaZulu-Natal standing between them and the silverware. After a spirited performance from the Johannesburg side, they defeated the KZN side 69–41.
The victory returned the campus to celebrations that were last held in 2009 as that was the last time they were crowned USSA basketball champions.
For UJ head coach Mandla Ngema it was a moment to savour after his men had been in contention for the past nine years only to slip up in the semi-finals each time. Ngema said, “I believe the semi-final against Wits was the major breakthrough for us, that victory gave us the confidence to go on to win the tournament.”
According to Ngema, the team went into the tournament with the target of finishing in the top four. “We thought we could achieve that and then would reassess the situation. We felt we may face Wits in the semis and knew if we could get past them we had a great chance of winning the title.”
Ngema shared his pleasure with being able to overcome their nine-year trophy drought. “We work as hard as any team, perhaps harder than many of them, and all that input has now come to fruition. Having waited so long for this success there was a lot of support for them and this meant a lot to the team.”
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