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Innocent Kurira, [email protected]
KHANYISILE Sports Centre is set to become the place to be on Saturdays once again with the return of the beloved evening basketball weekends.

After a two-month hiatus, the carnival-like atmosphere that accompanies the games will be back in full swing, providing basketball lovers with their perfect leisure spot.

With braai, car wash and entertainment on offer, the main attraction is the basketball games played on the main court.

The Bulawayo Basketball Association (BBA) is kick-starting the season with a traditional pre-season tournament today featuring eight men’s teams and five women’s teams.

The men’s category will feature Legends, Nust, Gwanda Rebels, Mavericks, Highlanders, Lakers, Titans and Giants, while the women’s teams will be Nust, Mavericks, City Royals, Highlanders and Lakers Mzansi.

Defending champions Giants will be seeking to retain their title in the men’s category, while Lakers look to defend their title in the women’s division.

BBA secretary-general, Francis Dube, assured fans that everything is in place for a highly competitive and memorable event.

He also confirmed the Khanyisile Basketball tournament as the first major event of the season, running from October 25 to 27. It will run under the theme “Dunk the Drugs Out” and will see teams from Bulawayo, Harare and the Midlands competing for the title over three days.

“We are looking forward to a highly competitive meet as we prepare for the proper start of the season. As usual, it’s going to be an evening to remember with a great atmosphere and some good quality basketball on display from the best teams in the province. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere on Saturdays other than Khanyisile Sports Centre,” said Dube.

“It’s a family-friendly environment, so everyone is welcome. We know our locals have been starved of basketball action, so worry no more, basketball is back in the City of Kings and Queens.”

Basketball is a sport that once thrived in the city among the “hip” youth in the 1980s and early 1990s, but problems within the game led to a decline.

Young people of school-going age in Bulawayo then were defined by their love for the game, and those in their mid-40s and above will remember in particular the early 1990s when just moving around holding a basketball spoke volumes and determined their status among their peers.

However, with the return of events like the pre-season tournament and the Khanyisile Basketball tournament, the spark is slowly being reignited, allowing young people to rediscover their love for the game.

Player development initiatives were stopped or just abandoned, players left in droves and teams folded, and the game was almost forgotten.

The dilapidated and idle basketball courts serve as a reminder of the game’s past struggles, but the events now provide hope for the future and a renewed interest in the game.
@innocentskizoe