U-18 basketball youth team line up for FIBA qualifiers

TANZANIA: SPIRITED national boys and girls’ basketball teams left the country yesterday for Kampala, Uganda ready for the FIBA Afrobasket Zone V U18 qualifiers.

The week-long event will tip off from 9th to 14th June this year at the NCS Lugogo Arena in Uganda’s Capital City Kampala.

The youth’s teams are looking forward to conquering the region’s prestigious showdown.

Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) president Michael Kadebe told the ‘Daily News’ in Dar es Salaam yesterday that both teams are in good shape and ready for the battle.

The youth team will battle it out against hosts Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Eritrea, Burundi, Ethiopia and Sudan for the top honours.

The FIBA U18 Afrobasket Zone V preliminaries are a qualifying event for the FIBA U18 Women’s African Championship 2024 and the FIBA U18 Africa Championship, which will be hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August.

Boys’ team left for Uganda include Baraka Clement, Mohamed Ally, Khaleef Nassor, Stanley Mtunguja, Hasani Fadhili, James Adam, Jordan Ahmed, Stephon Kyara, Oswadiq Ally, Steven Juma, Yassin Mwarami, Ebenezer Elifuraha and Ariel Kuzula.

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Alloyce Renatus is the team’s head of delegation while the boy’s head coach is Phabian Paul assisted by Phineas Stephen and Abubakari Msabaha.

Kadebe named girls team are Elizabeth Singoi, Nsinyare Denis, Upendo Isaya, Nawassa Lazaro, Namsifu Isack, Neema Bakari, Maria, Idezent, Sophia Donald, Herieth Zozim, Pendo Lashipai, Namnyaki Isaya and Asra Anuary.

He said Ngenzi Raymond is the team head coach, the assistants are Maureen Sizya and Nelious Edison, and while team manager is Peter Allen.

In the list also are team doctors Doreen Kaaya and Lanina Hasadi, while Nasma Kikaranga and Shabani Mohamed are referees from Tanzania who will officiate the tournament.

Kadebe noted: “Both teams were well prepared, we expect them to bring home honours and continue where we left last year.”

The president was also extending their complement to the government for their support for the national junior teams and making it possible for them to travel.

He stressed that the goal for both the teams is to qualify for the main event in South Africa with only one ticket available, for the winner of this Zone V preliminaries.

Egypt, who won the FIBA U18 African Championship 2022 (Boys) and were runners-up in the girls’ category, will automatically play in the 2024 edition on a wild card, hence missing out on the preliminary games.