Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
GEMS mainstay Assah Zimusi shone brightly as a coach after leading First Division newcomers Dragon Flames to second place in a 16-team Division One season-opening tournament at the Mbare Netball Complex last Saturday.
The Harare City vice-captain adopted the team when they were still playing the game at a social level last year.
But she made them believe in themselves prompting the players to gather funds which they used to affiliate for Division One.
And they were the revelation of the tournament at the weekend, charming both rivals and neutrals with their energy at the carnival event, graced by the who is who, in the netball fraternity including Zimbabwe Netball Association president Leticia Chipandu and the Premier Netball League board.
But it was Zimusi who especially grabbed the attention of many with her skills on the technical bench.
The 26-year-old is one of the best players in the country and a regular in the Gems squad.
She won the PNL Fans Player of the Season recently but her artistry on the touchline left many surprised especially given that she doesn’t have any coaching qualifications.
Her team walloped opponents with ease and even stretched the more-fancied Sunningdale Queens to the limit with a draw in the final.
Sunningdale Queens would only find a way after extra time with a hard-fought turn-over doing all the tricky.
Zimusi said it is her love for netball that drove her into working with Dragon Flames.
“I am very happy to see my team doing so well in their first encounter with teams in the first division.
“These girls were playing social netball last year but the zeal and determination they were showing made me want to work with them.
“We started from scratch. We started with the very basics like landing, ball handling and passing.
“Everyone was willing to learn and that encouraged me more,” said Zimusi.
She added:
“We trained very hard in the run-up to this tournament. And they showed a lot of character as a group.
“In the semi-finals, we played Wakanda, which is basically the former PNL team Marondera with the very players we were playing against last year.
“My players did so well against them. I am very happy for my young team. The team’s average age is 22 and the future is looking very bright for them.”
