Cape Town - “I have had the privilege of meeting Michael Jordan and also had the basketball court in Gugulethu named after me, but nothing comes greater than knowing I will be donning the South African flag and representing my country.”
This is what it means to Vincent Ntunja, the assistant coach of Gugulethu-based basketball team the Cape Town Tigers, to be representing South Africa at the Basketball Africa League (BAL), the continent’s most prestigious basketball competition.
The team’s journey to the BAL 2022 started after they won the 2021 South African National Basketball Championship.
They were entered into the 2021 qualifying stage held in Soweto. In the Elite 16, they secured third place in the east division to secure their qualification in the competition for the first time.
They will be competing in the Nile Conference, from April 9-19, in Cairo. Should the team successfully navigate the group stage, they move on to compete in the May play-offs in Kigali.
The team was co-founded in 2019 by two American businesswomen, Chante Butler and Dia Martin, who have helped the side to immense success in the space of only two years.
Ntunja said his team had to overcome many challenges.
“The first challenge was mostly through just getting the venues for basketball that we could use as a team. This is our first year in existence as a professional club, so it has been challenging to find that blueprint that gave us direction on how to function as a club.”
Their incredible achievement is made even more impressive by the fact that Gugulethu does not have many basketball facilities.
“It has been a challenge because players needed to play on functional floors, made of wood instead of the concrete that our sports complex is usually built on,” he said.
Ntunja spent a lot of time driving around to find suitable facilities, with the team using the sports complexes in Lotus River and Khayelitsha for their preparations.
The side, despite the difficulties and challenges, remains motivated.
“Our biggest motivation for the players and coaches is that finally basketball is getting recognition as a sport (in South Africa).
“We are also grateful that now we get to feed our families, because now we are getting paid to be part of the coaching staff, and the players are also being paid to play,” he said.
Further exposure will grow audiences and awareness of the club which will give more opportunities for them to reach out to the youth.
“We have been doing community projects in Gugulethu, running around with the kids there and taking part in some community development events.
“The club’s achievement has inspired the community and they are hoping to give an opportunity to change livelihoods, and inspire families through basketball,” Ntunja said.
“The team is immensely honoured to be representing South Africa and will fly the flag high with pride.”