Basketball team in camp

ZIMBABWE basketball team coach Ellery “Chewy” Pinkerton has singled out the lack of size as his team’s biggest stumbling block ahead of next month’s Afro Basket Championships in Tunisia.

The team last week regrouped for their penultimate camp ahead of the August 20-30 tourney, and Pinkerton said he would be working more on his charges’ conditioning.

“As you know, my job is to get these guys ready for Tunisia and it is well-documented that we are a relatively small team,” he said.

“As such the emphasis of this particular camp will be to work on the guys’ conditioning and fitness levels which we hope to use to counter our deficiencies in the size department. This means we are going to run a lot of defensive and offensive drills and try improve their shooting.”

Pinkerton is delighted that most of his foreign-based players have reported for duty.

The Europe-based trio of Vitalis Chikoko, Wilson Juma and Hillary Netsiyanwa has joined the duo of Andrew Gonese and Stenard Mapurisa, who were in South Africa, in camp. Robert Mugabe Jnr, who is plying his trade in the United Arab Emirates, is also in the mix.

“I am going to take this opportunity to assess some of these foreign guys. Vitalis has been playing competitive basketball in Italy, but a lot of work still needs to be done to get the other guys fit and ready for the kind of competition they are going to face in Tunisia,” said Pinkerton.

One notable absentee is United States-based forward Jullian Mavunga, with sources saying a rift has emerged between the player and the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe.

“Jullian is unlikely to pitch up after he made some ridiculous demands. He said he will only come if his entourage gets to stay in a five-star hotel at the expense of the union. The union naturally said no because that will be setting a wrong precedent,” said a source.

Pinkerton, however, insisted Mavunga was not here because of “scheduling issues”.

“While we are yet to formally hear from the player’s representatives, I can tell you that the story about these demands is false. The issue with Jullian mostly has to do with his schedule but he has agreed to come and play for us if his programme permits. That is as far as I know,” he said.