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BULAWAYO is set to play host to the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe (Buz) national championships in May
Clubs are expected to battle it out for bragging rights in the competition that grants winners an opportunity to represent the country in the Basketball Africa League (BAL)
BAL is Africa’s premier men’s basket league; it consists of 12 teams, each qualified through their domestic competition. The league is a joint effort between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and International Basketball (FIBA) with sponsorship from Nike and Pepsi.
Its inaugural season started with the qualifying rounds in October 2019 and the regular season in May 2021. The competition replaced FIBA’s Africa Basketball league as the continent’s top-tier league.
“We are at a stage where provincial leagues are concluding their league programmes paving way for the national championships.
“We will have the qualifiers for the national championships first before the finals in Bulawayo. Southern region teams will converge in Gweru while the Northern teams will play in Harare. Gweru will have teams from Matabeleland South, Midlands, Masvingo and Bulawayo with Harare incorporating teams from the capital, Mutare and Mashonaland East.
The Southern region has three slots with another going to them by virtue of being hosts while the Northern teams will contest for four slots,” said Buz president Joe Mujuru.
“It’s been a while since we had nationals and we expect this edition to be exciting and we hope to have the best talent in the country taking part in the competition, ” he added.
Meanwhile, Mavericks men’s side are closing in on the Bulawayo Basketball Association (BBA) title with three rounds of action to go.They have collected 24 points from 12 games. Giants are in second place having accumulated 22 points from the same number of games.
Mavericks are also top of the women’s division with 22 points from 11 games with Lakers A a point behind. – @innocentskizoe
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