Female NBA player hosts basketball clinic in Mankweng
Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association's (WNBA) professional basketball player, Angel McCoughtry (33) visited South Africa for the first time recently. The American saw the need to reach out to girls who enjoy playing basketball in Limpopo during her trip.
POLOKWANE – Limpopo Tourism prepared a welcome dinner for her at Park Inn by Radisson Polokwane on Wednesday, 9 October, where Angel got an opportunity to unfold the motive behind her visit. The two-time Olympic gold medallist said that programmes such as the NBA Africa and Basketball without Borders is a good catalyst for the code to grow in Africa.
Angel visited basketball players in Mankweng at the University of Limpopo and also hosted a basketball clinic in Mahwelereng.
“I could see how passionate they are about the sport and that is when I decided to give them more information about how sport can change their lives,” she said.
She explained that she was inspired by the girls’ passion and dedication, despite their challenges. “I promised the girls to help them where I can,” she added. Angel mentioned that she knows the sport is not as big in Limpopo, but she encouraged authorities to not get impatient with the process of developing basketball in the province. “I would like to mention that South Africa is a special country and that athletes of colour have come a long way to make strides in sports internationally,” she addressed.
Angel mentioned that locally-born players such as Fukushima Firebonds’ centre, Tshilidzi Nephawe, should not be taken for granted. Everyone enjoyed a one-on-one chat session with Angel.
