adminEllina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
NEWLY elected Harare Basketball Association president Bernard Jiro says he is ready to continue the work started by his predecessor, Ngoni Mukukula, within the province. Jiro recently took over from Mukukula, who was banned from holding any position within the province for the next five years for allegedly assaulting a basketball player, Margaret Kanyimo, during a match between Raiders and Vixens in a pre-season tournament in September.
Mukukula was elected in 2013 for a five-year term but Jiro, who beat three other contestants in an election held recently for the post, will complete the remaining two years after the former’s ban.
Jiro said he will continue from where Mukukula left off with his main focus being the involvement and development of the youth in the sport.
“My wish is to continue from where my predecessor left off. I have been working closely with HBA in a business capacity as well as a volunteer. I want to build on what has been started.
“Our message going to the corporate world is we are open for business,” said Jiro.
Jiro said there was need to establish a high performance centre to create opportunities for young talented athletes to pursue their dreams after school.
“It’s not too many opportunities that are given to these guys after school, but we feel that with the arrival of Basketball Without Borders in South Africa, the NBA itself is looking towards Africa as a next frontier for talent.
“We want to be prepared, this is why we are lobbying for our own piece of land and a place where we can appeal for donors to build a centre of excellence so that we have a facility that is open to our exceptional talent.
“And also on the youth policy we are currently working on a comprehensive policy that is going to be part of our proposal to the corporate world. The emphasis is going to be possibly the creation of an Under-20 league. This has not been approved by clubs yet, it’s an idea that we as the executive have been considering
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