FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket Tournament Preview: South Africa

FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket Tournament Preview: South Africa

The South African U18 Women’s team is set to compete in the FIBA U18 AfroBasket Tournament in front of their home crowd in Pretoria, South Africa, from . This is an important tournament for the host nation as they have been inactive from international competition for many years now and now get an opportunity to do so in front of their home fans. South Africa secured their place in the competition as the host nation and thus got automatic qualification.

KEY PLAYERS AND EXPECTATIONS

Will South Africa use their home-ground advantage and lift their first ever FIBA U18 AfroBasket trophy?

This is the wish of the head coach, Nosipho Njokweni, and her players. The team is composed of talented teenagers who are determined to make a name for themselves. They have players who have some international experience, and they will be relying heavily on them to achieve their goals.

The player that the team will be leaning most towards is Reatlegile Taukubong from North West province. The South African guard has slick handles and the ability to dictate the flow of the game as she can play multiple positions and has proven to be effective at those. She was named MVP at the Jr NBA games in Kigali last year and continues to progress in that trajectory with her involvement in senior teams under the guidance of former South African national team captain Emma Ledwaba.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

 South Africa has not had any involvement at this tournament but has continued to participate in multiple tournaments at younger levels and will be looking to leave a mark in this edition. Despite the dark cloud looming over the state of basketball in South Africa, this team will be looking to change the narrative and perform to the best of their abilities.

The team is led by a former national team player and a devout steward committed to growing basketball in South Africa. Coach Nosipho Njokweni has been involved in basketball at all levels in the country and will be looking to use that experience to lead this team in the right direction. Due to the fact that there is little known about this team, they could use that as a competitive advantage as their oppositions cannot do a thorough scouting report on them. This they hope will be an element of surprise which they can use to stun their Group A opponents Cameroon, Tunisia and Rwanda. Furthermore, they have the home-ground advantage and will use that as a sixth player on the court.  

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[Photography / Imagery Courtesy of FIBA]