Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE captain Vitalis Chikoko is set to don the Basket Hounds jersey for the first time when the reigning champions take part in the Bravehearts International Basketball Challenge (BIBC) in Malawi this weekend.
However, the 34-year-old France-based centre remains a doubt for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers, which the Basket Hounds will be Zimbabwe representatives.
Chikoko is a co-founder of the club, together with childhood friend Tawanda Nemutambwe, and has been training with the Hounds during his offseason from the French LNB Pro A league.
Chikoko is currently on the books of French side SIG Strasbourg.
“Yes, Vitah (Chikoko) has been training with the team for a couple of weeks now and will travel with us to Malawi,” said Nemutambwe, the Hounds coach.
“He is an immensely talented and experienced player and our players will benefit a lot by playing alongside him
“We also have Devon Pfacha in the team and he was on the books of MBB of South Africa last season.
“He played Elite 16 level basketball at the BAL qualifiers and, hopefully, he will be with us this time around.
“The status of Chikoko is still up in the air as time is a crucial factor.
“Depending on the dates of the Road to BAL qualifiers, he might have returned to France for pre-season training already.”
Hounds are set to make their debut at the Malawi tournament, slated for August 28-30, and will hope to use it as part of their preparations for the BAL qualifiers.
The premier Southern African basketball tournament has been growing in popularity with this year’s edition expected to attract teams from as far as Kenya
While Hounds will be Zimbabwe’s sole representative, Mozambique are expected to send six clubs while Zambia has five, South Africa has one club and Kenya and Angola have two teams.
The prize money has also been increased to US$2 500.
“The main objective going into this tournament will primarily be to gauge where we are and identify any areas that need work, especially as we head into the home stretch of our preparations for the Road to BAL qualifiers,” said Nemutambwe.
“We also hope to come up with a scouting report as most of the teams taking part will also be at the BAL qualifiers.
“We have been training since last month but there is no substitute for competitive game time.
“There is also the USD$2 500 prize, which will go a long way in helping fund our travels to the qualifiers.
“While winning the tournament is not the main goal, it will definitely be a welcome bonus,” he said.
Hounds are fresh off a highly successful 2024/25 basketball during which the they managed to scope both the Harare Basketball Association (HBA) Super Six and Basketball Union of Zimbabwe (BUZ) National League titles.
They successfully defended the BUZ National League title to earn themselves a return trip to the Basketball Africa League.
Online Reporter