dyton mupawaenda
Innocent Kurira
BASKETBALL Union of Zimbabwe president Joe Mujuru says they are ready to play host to the country’s first ever International Basketball Federation Youth Camp next month.
The camp will be from December 5 to 10 in Harare.
FIBA granted BUZ the rights to host the youth camp which will gather the best players and coaches in the country.
The camp is dedicated to youth players from 14-15 years with good technical and physical abilities, and will be used to form the long list for the Under-16 national teams for the AUSC Region 5 games to be held in Namibia in December 2024.
Being the first of its kind, to be held in the country, Mujuru will be a history making moment for BUZ and the whole lot of the basketball family locally.
“Obviously, this means a lot to us. We are excited to be hosting the camp. We have prepared well and are ready to have the programme running. The idea is to leave a legacy of technical richness in the country.
“The camp will be organised by experts from FIBA and NBA in two parts. The first part will be for 30 coaches that work in the youth basketball category and will run for three days. The second part for 40 youthful players and coaches will also run for three days,” said Mujuru.
He said the youth camp complements the “Her World, Her Rules” (HWHR) campaign which is FIBA’s most recognised initiative in women’s basketball.
The basketball governing body has prioritised the promotion of women in basketball, making the campaign a key focus of their strategic priorities.
Through this elite camp, as Mujuru put it,FIBA Africa would want to help Buz identify talent and build a programme for youth basketball players and coaches.
The objective is to have the best young players for theFIBA Africa regional youth camps and the Basketball Without Borders initiative.
The FIBA Africa youth camp is the continent’s flagship event for training and development. Since inception in 2021, the camp has reached 80 percent of the African countries, impacting on 43 nations.
Globally, 90 girls and 150 boys have participated in the It has been implemented as an elite programme to identify and harness the best young African basketball players, who are coached by a set of experts delivering advice on the technical aspects of the game.
Online Reporter