Igniting a culture of basketball
If you’re interested in playing basketball, meet the players at Lambert Park on Saturdays
An enthusiastic young group of basketball players met at Lambert Park on June 4 to express their love for the game on the court.
With the aim of forming male and female teams in Estcourt, Bernard Kumwenda invited basketball enthusiasts to meet and play.
Mr Kumwenda is an associate pastor at Restoration of God’s Glory Church and his love for basketball drives him to kindle a desire for the sport in Estcourt.
“The idea of bringing ‘basketball culture’ to our community dawned on me when I met Siyabonga Mahlinza. He played professionally at a young age for the South Africa National U/16 Team and also participated in big SA leagues in his early 20s. We wanted to bring back the culture when we noticed that our community has limited activities for the youth. So we thought that basketball could be a tool to engage the youth socially, instead of other things that can harm their lives,” he explained.
While the development at grassroots level takes place during the initial stages, the bigger dream is to compete provincially.
“Our plan is to build strong teams, both men and women, that can represent Estcourt in well-respected leagues. We are also planning to join the Pietermaritzburg league next season, which will start in September. We also believe this can change the lives of many young people in our town. As the saying goes: If not thousands, at least one,” Mr Kumwenda smiles.
He divulged that the role players are in the process of registering an Estcourt Basketball Association, where they can engage both high school and local teams for play-off tournaments.
“At the moment, we have created a WhatsApp group to keep each other updated. We would also request that the local municipality help us by renovating the Lambert Park court with lights and a floor. We are willing to take part in every process,” Mr Kumwenda concluded.
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