Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
MADAGASCAR arrived in Harare with more than a basketball team.
Behind the 12 players who secured their place at the Under-18 AfroBasket finals in Côte d’Ivoire was a national development system containing thousands of junior players, about 1 000 teams and scouts spread across the island.
Zimbabwe entered the same qualifiers after delays in appointing coaches, without a proper training camp and with some players still adjusting to the shot clock used in international basketball.
The difference showed on the court.
Madagascar defeated the hosts twice, 84-45 and 85-45, to book their ticket to the continental finals scheduled for August 5-16 in Abidjan.
Zimbabwe are now hoping for a wildcard.
The hosts went into Thursday night’s final match at the Sunrise Sports Club needing to beat Madagascar by at least 45 points to qualify.
They started brightly and led 14-8 after the opening quarter, but could not sustain the intensity.
Madagascar gradually took control, with Emerick Raveloarison scoring a game-high 19 points, while captain Harinosy Rasetriarvony added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Zimbabwe captain Gide Johnson led his side with 15 points and six rebounds.
“I think we had the right mindset and I liked how we started,” said Zimbabwe coach Tawanda Nemutambwe.
“The boys really wanted it. We had a plan, executed it well and that is why we were leading 14-8 in the first quarter.
“As the game went on, our lack of conditioning was exposed. Madagascar are better conditioned than us and it showed when they changed gears in the second quarter and during the second half.”
That difference in conditioning was not accidental.
Madagascar’s players compete regularly throughout the year, moving through a development structure that begins with Mini Basketball and continues through age-group leagues, youth national teams and the senior game.
“We have over 3 000 players at Under-18 level and we keep track of everyone,” said Madagascar head of delegation Andrianaivo Tsimbina.
“We have a national director and a technical director who scout.
“They travel around the country looking at players in different regions and leagues, and we are able to identify those capable of joining the national pre-selection.
“The list is trimmed down to 40 players, then to 25 or 20, before we get to the final 12 for each assignment.”
Madagascar’s age-group and regional leagues operate for most of the year.
“Our league is very active at every age-group level, from Mini Basketball to the seniors, and we only have maybe two or three months without active basketball,” said Tsimbina.
“Our players are conditioned and active throughout the year. There are about 1 000 teams across the different age groups, leagues and regions.
“The sport has been on the rise for a couple of years, starting with three-on-three basketball, where we are champions. It has now spread to other formats and age groups.”
The Mini Basketball programme, run by the Fédération Malagasy de Basket-Ball, with support from FIBA, targets children between the ages of five and 12.
It uses game-based learning to develop skills, teamwork and an interest in the sport, while a schools programme in Antananarivo has reached more than 20 000 learners.
Madagascar’s investment in junior basketball is also feeding the senior national team.
They finished fourth at the 2013 FIBA Under-16 AfroBasket and fifth in 2017.
They also hosted the Under-18 AfroBasket in 2014 and finished fifth.
Players from those teams, including Elly Randriamampionona, Livio Ratianarivo and Kiady Razanamahenina, have since become part of the senior national setup.
At the centre of the development programme is Angelot Razafiharivoy, a former Under-16 and Under-18 coach who now serves as director of youth basketball and scouting.
For Zimbabwe, the contrast was uncomfortable.
While Madagascar’s players came through regular leagues, national scouting and structured camps, the hosts entered the qualifiers after months of uncertainty and limited preparation.
The Under-18 team’s preparations exposed the familiar weaknesses in Zimbabwe’s age-group basketball.
Zimbabwe knew about the tournament months in advance, but there was no firm programme for the team.
“Camping time was a huge challenge,” said Nemutambwe. “We were hosting, but our camping arrangements were poor because we were training here and there.
“We could have done better with maybe two weeks or even a month in camp.
“We knew about this tournament from last year, or from the beginning of this year, but there was no concrete plan in place.
“There was also a delay in announcing the coaches because of the elections. They could not make formal appointments when there was no president, and that affected our preparations.”
The challenges went beyond fitness.
Zimbabwe’s players are accustomed to the running clock used in school basketball and needed time to adjust to the shot clock, set plays and intensity of the international game.
Nemutambwe believes national age-group teams should be assembled regularly, rather than only when a tournament approaches.
“We should have more camps where we assemble the boys for refresher training three or four times a year,” he said.
“Even when there is no competition, we could identify players and bring them together in January, March or during the school holidays so that we keep improving their skills.
“The way we appoint coaches also needs to be more deliberate. We should choose coaches who are already working with those age groups.
“We also need proper scouting. Once we identify players, we should give them programmes that help their development.”
For now, Nemutambwe hopes Zimbabwe’s victories over Namibia will strengthen their case for a wildcard.
The hosts beat Namibia 87-36 and 79-44, while Madagascar won their two matches against the Namibians 111-33 and 115-31.
“There is a high possibility of a wildcard,” said Nemutambwe.
“I feel we should go for it and give these kids more exposure at the main tournament.
“The fact that we beat Namibia twice should give us enough footing as the Zone Six representative and maybe warrant a wildcard entry.”
Madagascar left Harare with the ticket they had earned through years of planning, scouting and regular junior competition.
Zimbabwe remained behind, waiting to discover whether a wildcard could rescue another campaign undermined by late appointments and inadequate preparation.
