Basketball in Africa

THE hired coaches from the USA, one of the world's best basketball playing nations are expected in the country next Tuesday ready to take up the task of picking and coaching the national sides.
Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF), Vice-President Phares Magesa told reporters that coach -- Albert Sokaitis alongside his compatriot Jocquis Sconiers will take up their new task during the national championship, Taifa Cup planned for Tanga next week.
Magesa said the duo will be assigned to pick and train both the men and women national sides towards the Zone Five championship to be in Dar es Salaam in December. "Their first task will be to guide the national team in this year's FIBA Zone Five Championship, though they will officially take charge of our national basketball teams after the Taifa Cup," said the TBF official.
Sokaitis, now head coach of Post University team in Connecticut in the US, has vast knowledge of the sport. He said their technical support to the country is courtesy of the US embassy in the country, which offered to foot accommodation costs for the new coach.
They duo will also be tasked to conduct numerous courses for local coaches. Magesa also said that this year's Taifa Cup basketball championship preparation were on a good course and the coaches will use the week-long event to select players who would form part of the national team for various international competitions.
He named regions which have confirmed participation as Iringa, Mbeya, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Shinyanga, Singida, Mara, Dodoma, Pemba, Unguja, Tanga, Mtwara, Lindi and Dar es Salaam. However, Mwanza decided to pull out of the event for what has been termed as the region's attempt to get over the predicament it suffered in the previous tournament.