Basketball in Africa

TANZANIA will for the second consecutive time host the 17th edition of the East and Central Africa Inter-cities basketball tournament next year, officials revealed over the weekend.
This will be the fourth time the country plays host to the championships.
The founder of the tournament and former national basketball team player, Simon Msofe, said that Dar es Salaam has once again been voted to welcome different cities from Africa for the event.
"We have confirmed that Dar will host the championships next year. We are very happy to host again and we believe we will have a very good tournament next year," he told players and fans who gathered at the National Indoor Stadium for the final game in which Egyptian city Cairo beat Garowe of Somalia 88-74 to win the men's trophy.
Msofe noted that since they launched the tournament the awareness went on rising every year and they are witnessing amazing talents from young players.
"It has been very well with us... every year we've witness young talented players performing well and even today they showcased their skill," he said. "All teams faired very well and with good preparations, we hope to witness a more exciting competition next year."
The Ilala Municipal Mayor, Jerry Slaa, who was the chief guest, made a passionate call to all stakeholders in the country to invest in basketball, saying it is a very good game which can be an asset for youth and the public.
"I can say that basketball is a loveable and enjoyable game, but we need to increase investment in it and stakeholders should start to invest in this game because it can be a good asset to youth and the society," he said.
Cairo City captain Nour Emad said Dar es Salaam hosted the tournament very well and all teams were fully prepared, especially the team they met in the final.
"In Dar es Salaam, we felt like we were at home throughout the championships. I mean, I didn't feel the difference between here and home," he said.
"All teams were well prepared, there were some challenges, especially in the last game, but we triumphed," he added.
Tanzania has already hosted the Inter-cities tournament thrice in two cities -- Dar es Salaam which hosted it twice and Mwanza.
More than 14 cities from East and Central Africa participated in this year's championships with Cairo emerging men's champions and Nairobi retaining the women's title.