Nelious Mbugeni: The Believer Sets Sights on the WNBA

Nelious Mbugeni: The Believer Sets Sights on the WNBA

So I guess your first question is…who is she?

Nelious Mbugeni ("Nelly" to her friends) is 18 and attends the Masasi Secondary School for Girls in Tanzania. This August, she is set to represent her country at the FIBA U18 African Women's Championship in Antsibé, Madagascar.

Over the weekend we here at AfricaBasket sat with Nelly to find out what makes her tick and the first thing we learnt…she loves to sing. Now you can’t hear it in this article (check out our socials for the evidence) but trust us when we say that she has the voice of an angel which comes as little surprise as she is a big fan of Kenyan gospel artist Mercy Masika.

She has great confidence in her and the fact (that she) never loses hope whatever the circumstances,” says Mbugeni, sharing a few reasons as to why she is a big Mercy Masika fan.

The eldest of two was first interested in… you guessed it, football. Aged five, that's all she wanted to do but was pursued by a friend to take up basketball.

Morning and night…rain or sun..I was trying basketball. Mbugeni added.

By form 2 she was chosen to join Tanzania’s National Camp and by form 3 she was captaining her U16 National Team in Rwanda.

“I always believe in myself that…Anything I want I can do.”

A general secretary at her school, Nelly is a born leader who demonstrates, confidence, poise, and passion on and off the court. Like any other baller, Nelly wants to make it to the WNBA.

I want to be one of those women to get to the WNBA and help young girls build self-confidence and help them achieve their goals. Says Mbugeni.

She understands that we are not all given the same opportunities but recognises that her mother had a big part to play in her achievements so far.

“My mother is my best friend…she is always supporting me. She is an amazing mother.”

According to Nelious Mbugeni, three words define the Tanzanian girls' team: "spirituality…discipline, and love" making them "a solid team," but it's the words of Nelson Mandela that will keep them grounded: “You either win or you learn. But we never lose."

So who is Nelious Mbugeni? She’s the girl that believes "...even if we lose, we must not lose hope."

[Image/Photography Credit: FIBA]