This week, Africabasket is giving a platform to Jana Malbrook, the youthful president of the Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF), and Jerome Tonta, who has recently been entrusted with the role of head coach for the Mauritius men's national basketball team. The two young leaders are dedicated to promoting the development of basketball in their respective countries, and they will share their perspectives and ideas. But first…
Last Updated on
January 8, 2024
Jonathan Oriant
Staff Writer
The Malagasy Basketball Federation held a General Assembly to discuss the calendar of events and listen to the representatives of regional leagues.
A total of 21 out of 22 regions were present at the meeting, with only the Sofia region unable to attend due to unsafe road conditions.
The Federation is now calling all coaches to join forces and help prepare their teams for the upcoming #FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Vienna, Austria and the #FIBA U19 World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary.
#Madagascar is ready to show the world what they've got!In an effort to avoid fraud, the Federation has announced the implementation of biometric licenses. A biometric license is a form of identification that incorporates biometric data, such as fingerprints or facial recognition, to verify the identity of the license holder. Despite having almost 28,000 licensees, the Federation is working to improve their strategy and hopefully generate more income.
Finally, there are super excited to host the #Mayotte mens team as they begin their preparation for the next #IOIG2023. The Mayotte squad will face GNBC and COSPN, two teams that participated in the Road to BAL, followed by a combined squad of players from both teams.
Jerome Tonta is taking the reins as head coach of the men's national team and is ready to tackle the challenge ahead at the upcoming Indian Ocean Island Games in Madagascar.
"I embrace challenges, and I'm not one to back down," says Coach Tonta.
With a successful track record of leading the Roche-Bois Warriors to their first national title, Tonta is now taking on a new challenge with the national squad.
"Our goal is to achieve the best possible outcome."
To his surprise, Tonta was offered the job, even though he didn't initially apply for it.
"There were many other coaches with more experience, so it came as a shock to me," he admits.
But now that the initial surprise has worn off, Tonta is focusing on realistic targets. He's working with a list provided by the former national technical director and is sending a clear message to his players:
"We're here to represent our country and I hope you'll do your best."
Tonta acknowledges the time constraint but is not rushing things.
"We'll take things step by step and do our best to meet expectations," he says.
At the last IOIG in 2019, hosted by #Mauritius, the men's national team fell short of the podium after losses to Madagascar in the semi-finals and Comoros in the classification game. While a medal may be the ultimate goal, Tonta is not overly fixated on the outcome.
"It's been 30 years since Mauritius achieved a podium, but if we don't make it, it's not a failure. We'll give it our all with the resources we have.”
The Ligue Mahoraise de basket-ball has aspirations for its team to compete in the biggest continental basketball competitions under the umbrella of FIBA Africa.
The 101st French colony, has submitted a request to be able to participate as an independent state.
Martial Domergue, in charge of development at the league, says,
"It's not about winning immediately, but it will give us valuable experience."
The potential of the team was revealed in recent years, especially at the JIOI, leading to the league starting a plan to organise regular training sessions with the national team.
Representatives of the league recently made a trip to Tunisia where they applied to become a member of FIBA with the support of the French Federation.
"We asked for an exception as a French department and received agreement from the French Federation, which views this step positively," said the representatives.
Upon approval, #Mayotte will be able to participate in events such as the #AfroBasket and #AfroCan Qualifiers, and other competitions under the jurisdiction of FIBA Africa. This move will provide more opportunities for the sport to grow and to keep national players active between Island Games.
The newly elected president of the Seychelles Basketball Federation, Jana Malbrook, is poised to restore the country's basketball program to its former glory.
At just 27 years old, she is well aware of the enormity of the task at hand, but is determined to succeed.
With a background in basketball, Jana comes from a family of basketball enthusiasts.
Her father is the current coach of the Seychelles men's national team and her mother was a former player in the archipelago.
Malbrook discovered her passion for basketball at the age of seven and went on to compete for the national team, as well as excel in track and field events such as the 100m, 200m, long jump, and high jump.
Since being elected, she has been reaching out to other countries in Zone 6 to arrange for Seychelles to participate in invitational tournaments.
"It's not just about the national teams, clubs will also be involved," Malbrook stated.
Her first priority will be to relaunch the 3x3 program in mid-February, followed by efforts to set up a school championship with the help of coaches and other technical experts.
She is also focused on revitalising women's basketball in #Seychelles, which currently only has four teams in its league. To strengthen the league, Malbrook is considering the integration of an under-21 championship.
In addition to these immediate priorities, she is also working on improving the statutory documents to give a new boost to the sport and ensuring a closer examination of the master calendar and finding funding for major activities, particularly in light of the Indian Ocean Island Games.
Stay tuned with AfricaBasket for the latest breaking news and in-depth coverage of the Women's Zone 5 & 6 Afrobasket Qualifiers.
[Image/Photography Credit: the Fédération Malagasy de Basket Ball, the Comoros Basketball Federation, Mauritius Basketball Federation and the Seychelles Basketball Federation]
