St John’s College Head of Basketball shares passion for basketball
HOUGHTON – Basketball is the fastest growing sport in Southern Africa, according to Ngoza Phiri-Mazarura, head of basketball at St John's College.
Ngoza Phiri-Mazarura, the head of basketball at St John’s College, believes that both hard work and talent make for a great basketball player.
And a great basketball player is exactly what she has aspired to be, since starting the sport at school, at 13 years of age.
The talented player has represented her country, Zimbabwe, in basketball and athletics. She said she was also very pleased to have played a role in the growth and development of basketball at the school.
Phiri-Mazarura was instrumental in organising a recent basketball tournament at the school, and said she had been excited about the tournament since Covid-19 and the resulting protocol had meant little basketball could be played in the country, with basketball being a contact sport. “Fortunately, we could have the tournament following strict protocol, and unfortunately, with no spectators.”
She believed basketball benefitted learners on many levels. “There are opportunities to be awarded scholarships and bursaries into top high school and tertiary programmes. There are also opportunities beyond South Africa.”
According to her, basketball was the fastest-growing sport in schools across Southern Africa. “At St John’s College, we have more than 200 boys who play the game as a summer sport during the year, which is significant. The growth of basketball here has been exponential in the last five years.”
She said she cherished basketball for many reasons. “The sport can be played with just two people and so is accessible to a lot more people, and you don’t necessarily have to rely on the presence of an entire team. Infrastructure such as hoops and courts are available in many parks in the inner-city and so there is an opportunity to play with and against diverse members of the community in competition.”
Despite the challenges the past year has provided, she has big dreams for St John’s basketball. “The biggest need we have right now is an indoor centre that can support our growing numbers.”
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