13 April 2006
ZIMBABWE: 2 Harare teams set to take part in Bulawayo basketball tourney
By Paul Munyuki
ONLY two Harare teams are set to take part in the Bulawayo Basketball Association Easter tournament that is scheduled to start tomorrow in the City of Kings.
The three-day tournament will have Jewels and Kingdom Cavalliers from the Harare Basketball Association while seven teams from Bulawayo will take part. Unlike in the past years, most of the teams from Harare have failed to make it for the annual tournament after failing to raise enough funds for accommodation and travelling expenses. Highlanders, Giants, Kings, Lords, Classics, Academy, and Stars are the Bulawayo teams that have confirmed participation while college side Nust University have excused themselves from the tournament as students will be on holiday. BBA chairman Winston Mutasa said that the tournament was largely aimed at giving Bulawayo teams a taste of how Harare teams are playing as the date for the national championship tournament draws closer. "We were looking at making the tournament a warm-up event for the national tournament because most of the teams this side (Bulawayo) would like to see how the teams from Harare are playing. "Nine teams have confirmed participation with two of them being from Harare "Traditionally the tournament had been hosted by Highlanders but we felt that as an association we had to chip in and do something and we have since taken over," said Mutasa. But the tournament will not have any women’s sides taking part as they were not enough teams that expressed willingness in the event. "We are having problems in getting enough teams for the women’s tournament and we have since scrapped their tournament. "I also believe that that is the reason why the standard of women’s basketball is going down because they do not expose themselves to a lot of competition," he said. However, BBA are yet to work out the prizes for the winning and other teams that would have taken part in the event. "We are yet to work out on how much the winners and the runners-up would get because we are going to hold a meeting with the sponsors and see how much would be at stake," said Mutasa.
ONLY two Harare teams are set to take part in the Bulawayo Basketball Association Easter tournament that is scheduled to start tomorrow in the City of Kings.
The three-day tournament will have Jewels and Kingdom Cavalliers from the Harare Basketball Association while seven teams from Bulawayo will take part. Unlike in the past years, most of the teams from Harare have failed to make it for the annual tournament after failing to raise enough funds for accommodation and travelling expenses. Highlanders, Giants, Kings, Lords, Classics, Academy, and Stars are the Bulawayo teams that have confirmed participation while college side Nust University have excused themselves from the tournament as students will be on holiday. BBA chairman Winston Mutasa said that the tournament was largely aimed at giving Bulawayo teams a taste of how Harare teams are playing as the date for the national championship tournament draws closer. "We were looking at making the tournament a warm-up event for the national tournament because most of the teams this side (Bulawayo) would like to see how the teams from Harare are playing. "Nine teams have confirmed participation with two of them being from Harare "Traditionally the tournament had been hosted by Highlanders but we felt that as an association we had to chip in and do something and we have since taken over," said Mutasa. But the tournament will not have any women’s sides taking part as they were not enough teams that expressed willingness in the event. "We are having problems in getting enough teams for the women’s tournament and we have since scrapped their tournament. "I also believe that that is the reason why the standard of women’s basketball is going down because they do not expose themselves to a lot of competition," he said. However, BBA are yet to work out the prizes for the winning and other teams that would have taken part in the event. "We are yet to work out on how much the winners and the runners-up would get because we are going to hold a meeting with the sponsors and see how much would be at stake," said Mutasa.
# posted by afrbk : 20:02
