Pfachi: The journeyman with a dream

Tinashe Kusema

Zimpapers Sports Hub

WHAT does it really mean to be a journeyman? In basketball, it is the label for players who move from one team to the next searching for their place.

For Dyvonne Pfachi, that search has stretched beyond borders. He has built a career on the road, hopping between clubs and countries, always chasing the game he loves.

It is a path that earned him the nickname “Rondo”, derived from NBA great Rajon Rondo. The comparison is less about their shared tendency to move around, and more about their court vision.

“So, one of my friends, back in the day, gave me that nickname because he said I pass the ball like Rondo,” Pfachi explained.

It is no small complement. Rondo remains one of the best passers the NBA has ever seen, with career averages of nearly eight assists a game across 957 matches.

He even holds the record for the most 20+ assist games since 2000.

Surprisingly, Rondo is not even Pfachi’s favourite player.

“My greatest player of all time is Kevin Durant,” he said. “But locally, I view Brian Pepukai and Farai Tichareva as my favourites. When I look at them, I see them as my elder brothers and try to emulate them as much as possible.”

For Pfachi, being a journeyman has meant more than transfers. It is about resilience, adapting to new environments and finding a sense of belonging wherever basketball takes him.

And behind all the movement is one burning dream.

“All I want is to play in the Basketball Africa League with a team from Zimbabwe,” he said.

“I want to represent my country on the biggest stage.

“We have the talent here in Zimbabwe, and I believe we can compete at those high-level competitions. All we need is sponsorship.”

Since the tournament’s launch in 2019, Pfachi has featured in the qualifiers with at least four different teams: Mercenaries, JBC, MBB Basketball and now Basket Hounds. Each attempt has ended before the main draw, on what is known as the “Road to BAL”.

“The ‘Road to BAL’ is just one big, intense competition,” he said.

“The level moves up because the best teams from other countries converge to qualify for the main draw.

“Every game is hard, with my best finish coming with JBC when we made it to the Elite 16, which is the last hurdle before the main draw.”

This year, though, he believes things will be different with the Basket Hounds.

“I think we have a higher chance of qualifying because we know what we need to do, both the coaches and the players. Basket Hounds are the best team in Zimbabwe at the moment and we have everything we need to go far. We have the talent and a very good technical bench who all know what is required.”

The Hounds’ rise supports his optimism. Founded in 2022, they went unbeaten in their debut Harare Basketball League season, then qualified for the HBA Super 6.

“Since then, they have collected back-to-back national league titles (2024 and 2025) and the current Super 6 crown.

Under coach Tawanda Nemutambwe, the team has been relentless in preparation.

Two weeks ago, they competed in the Malawi International Basketball Challenge, a warm-up tournament that doubled as a scouting mission for BAL qualifiers.

They even called up France-based captain Vitalis Chikoko to boost training and competition readiness.

“The Malawi Brave Hearts Basketball tournament was a great experience,” Pfachi said.

“It helped us identify where we are as a team and what we need to work on between now and the qualifiers. The tournament also had the added advantage of giving us an opportunity to size up the competition as most of the teams we are going to meet at the ‘Road to BAL’ were there.

“The opportunity to play and train alongside Vitah (Chikoko) was great too. We’ve played together at national team level and he is like a big brother to me. He always encourages me, pushes me and is always open to give me tips and advice on how to improve my game.”

Even if he never reaches the BAL main stage, Pfachi’s legacy is already secure.

He owns multiple national league titles with JBC (2022-2023) and Hounds (2024-2025), plus two BNL championships with Soweto Panthers (2018) and Phoenix (2019).

He has collected Harare Basketball Association titles, and turned out for sides that include UNZA Pacers (Zambia) and Ferroviario de Nampula (Mozambique).

For a Mufakose kid who started out passing like Rondo, it has been a long journey. And for Zimbabwean basketball, Pfachi’s road still points towards the BAL stage he so desperately wants to see his country on.