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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter

VETERAN basketball coach Theo Weale is optimistic that there can be a renewed spark of interest in the sport if all stakeholders have a change in mentality and work towards improving standards of the game.

Basketball used to be one of the most popular sports in Bulawayo, particularly among the youths.

However, the game went on a downward spiral and a number of basketball courts stand idle and dilapidated as a witness to the long-lost spark.

Weale has challenged everyone involved in basketball to play their part in improving the game.

“The most important thing that can be done by players and administrators is to change their perception of the sport. They need to eradicate the old way of doing things and bring in new ways of doing things. 

Everyone needs to be professional from the coaches, players and administrators; everyone needs to change their mentality,” said Weale.

“Once we achieve a change in mentality, a positive picture will be portrayed to the corporate world and that in turn can entice sponsors to partner with the association.

If the whole image of basketball is changed and we have things run professionally l can assure you we will have people coming to support the sport in numbers. We will have families coming to support basketball in an appropriate atmosphere.

“We also need to rope in younger players. What we have had over the past five or six years are the same players playing in the league and the only difference is that they change clubs. It’s rare to see new faces in the league.

“The new BBA (Bulawayo Basketball Association) secretary-general Francis Dube has been speaking about the importance of closing the gap between schools and the association and I believe that is a positive idea. 

“Basketball people have to be more active in the game, but it’s unfortunate that  basketball is not paying sport so it becomes difficult to grow the sport and the financial aspect of things becomes a major Achilles heel to improving the game,” said Weale

Dube has stressed the importance of creating a vibrant junior policy to hasten development of the game.

He wants BBA to foster a strong bond with schools to ensure a continuous supply of talent. – @innocentskizoe