Basketball star makes international team
"It's up to us to provide them with the tools and skills to reach their potential."
A YOUNG Wentworth boy has been selected to be part of the Peace Players International (PPI) all-stars basketball team.
Nicholas Henneberry (18) and his teammates in the Wentworth basketball team were invited on Saturday, 20 February to the KZN PPI basketball tournament held at the Umlazi indoor stadium.
“PPI scouts who were at the tournament identified Nicholas as a key player and him and 50 other players throughout KZN were chosen for try-outs for the all-star team. Nicholas made it to the top 15 and now represents us as a player for the all-stars,” said Neil Axford, manager for the Wentworth team. He added that this is a breakthrough for basketball in Wentworth and shows there is enough youth with different talents. “These children are capable of competing to the highest levels but it’s up to us to provide them with the tools and skills to reach their potential,”
Henneberry will fly the Wentworth flag high as he travels throughout South Africa. He will be representing the youth and become a symbol of hope. “I’m excited and confident in my talent, I am happy that an international organisation recognises the talent in our country, giving us the opportunity to be part of something so great,” he said.
PPI is an organisation started by two American brothers, Brendan and Sean Tuohey who spent their time coaching youth basketball in Northern Ireland. A South African police officer suggested that what worked in Northern Ireland could work on an even greater scale in post-apartheid South Africa.
