Basketball in Africa

By Bahati Mollel

Oilers basketball team of Mikocheni in Dar es Salaam is among five teams scrambling for a place in the game`s regional league known as RBA when the team plays in a mini-league that begins tomorrow at the indoor-national Stadium.

There are only two open slots being contested by the five teams.

Oilers, a team composed of intellectuals of the University of Dar es Salaam which in 2005 under coach Salehe Zonga, clinched the Super Cup championship, performed badly in this year`s RBA league resulting in its being slotted among five weak teams of which three are to be relegated.

Other teams that were elevated last season with the exception of JKT Mgulani, are likely to be relegated.

These are Jogoo, PT Stars and Don Bosco.

Acting Director of the game's technical committee, BD, Manase Zablon said the mini league would take one week and the two winning teams would join eight other league contenders.

He said the three relegated teams would join Srelio which twice failed to show up during the RBA matches and that these will have to wait until 2009 to participate in the Dream Cup which normally promotes four teams to RBA competitions.
He named the teams that are still in RBA basket which today play quarter finals as defending champions JKT, Savio, Tz. Prisons, UDSM Outsiders, Vijana, Chui, ABC and Chang'ombe Boyz.
In another development, National Indoor Stadium Manager, Mohamed Madenge barred from entry men and women teams that were to participate in group matches arguing that they hadn't paid cleaning fees.
Reports from some of the players have it that Madenge who locked himself inside the stadium, demanded the money to carry out cleaning exercises.

The problem was later resolved and they were allowed in.