Moyahabo Mabeba
LIMPOPO – THOSE in Limpopo who have a penchant for women’s basketball will celebrate Women’s Day by gathering either at the University of Limpopo’s Turfloop campus or the Seshego outdoors basketball courts at the Seshego Stadium on Saturday.
The annual tournament, known as the Women’s Day Basketball Tournament, would have taken place at Mahwelereng’s outdoor courts, but after several players raised their concerns over the condition of the facility, the tournament was moved. The University of Limpopo Snipers, Seshego Sonics Ladies, Malamulela Chillshooters, Mahwelereng Vampires and Solomondale Pacers have so far confirmed their participation in the Women’s Day Tournament.
The tournament will be staged under the auspices of the Limpopo Basketball Association (LBA) and is one of the biggest events on the LBA calendar, with the reputation of attracting quite a considerable crowd.
After the event, the selection panel will announce the All Stars players as well as the Most Valuable Player (MVP). The All Stars will be the best five players who displayed a magnificent performance, while the MVP will be the player who stood head and shoulders above the rest during this one-day tourney.
The players selected to the All Stars team will be part of the provincial squad to represent Limpopo during the Senior Provincial Games scheduled for next month at a venue and date yet to be announced by Basketball South Africa.
Among those who will be eyeing the honours this weekend will be Sonics’ point guard Nthabiseng Tsweleng, point guard Morongoa Ratsoma of Snipers and Pacers’ shooting guard, Joyce Noshomane.
Tsweleng will be the focus player for the Sonics and usually attracts a lot of admiration from spectators. She speaks highly of the upcoming tournament, saying: “A competition like this one comes once a year and it is when all women basketball players gather to celebrate our femininity. While the domestic and national leagues appeal to our male counterparts, this tournament we play in August is inarguably the one where we are celebrated as women”.
