Chisipite basketball team off to SA

compete against five schools — Danville Park Girls High, Grosvenor Girls High, Durban Girls High, Kingsway High and Ridge Park College.
The games are starting on Monday and will end on Friday.
Team coach, Martha Banda, said the tour was an opportunity for the girls to get exposure.
“We have organised to play five matches against five different schools in Durban. We last sent a basketball for a tour four or five years ago.
“It’s been a while and it’s the first time for all of them and me as well to go to South Africa as basketball team. We are taking 15 players just in case people get injured.
“Our girls I believe are potential leaders and a leader has to be exposed.
“We are going to take them to different sites and it opens their eyes to different things and they get to learn. It’s an opportunity for growth and interact with other teenagers
“We have been training seriously since third term last year.
“We are lucky that we have a good relationship with Sports Tour in South Africa so we can contact them and tell them that we want to send soccer or a basketball team,” said Banda.
Banda said they expect the team to do well in South Africa.
“I think my girls will give a good showing because they worked so hard. To win or lose we will learn something.
“Here we get to play the same people we know but now we are going to play people we don’t know and it’s going to be a different experience.
“Parents did most of the fundraising and we got donations from CBZ, Grant Thornton Camelsa, MBCA and FMC financial services,” said Banda.
Team captain, Rutendo Tsimba, said they were looking forward to the tour.
“We have been training a lot, it was quite intense.
“We have won most of our games this term and because of that we have been together as a team not just in the court but anywhere else.
“We are expecting to win most of our games because of the practice and work we have been doing. We want to go there and show them that we are from Zimbabwe.
“Our parents put in a lot and we want to show them that it was worth it. The morale is high and we are all happy,” said Tsimba.
Assistant coach, Andries Garwe, and team manager, Alison Roper, will assist Banda.
Team
Kudzai Dangwa, Mutsa Gova (vice captain) Chido Marimira, Jennipha Muzanenhamo, Ruvimbo Katsidzira, Melanie Hativagone, Itai Kuwodza, Nothabo Kumalo, Tapiwa Maswela, Nomsa Sithole (vice captain), Amanda Kane, Rutendo Tsimba (captain), Nakiso Hakulandaba, Chipo Magombo, Tatenda Zvobgo.