Sundaymail Editor
Tinashe Kusema
THE past dictates the future.
In as far as the saying go, no other truism best describes the enigma that is Tawanda ‘Younger’ Chitsinde.
Weeks away from entering into his 12th season, 31-year-old Chitsinde finds himself at a crossroads in his seasoned career.
It is either he quits and concentrate on the family business, or he soldiers on.
“I have indeed thought about quitting a couple of times, even going as far as stopping for a couple of months
“But, I love basketball. I set the goal of playing until my legs can no longer carry me and I intend to honour that promise,” he said.
For a better understanding of the predicament that Chitsinde finds himself in, one has to start from the beginning.
For Younger, basketball is a family sport as older brothers Taurai and Marvin have already set the pace.
“My brothers were a big influence on me, and started teaching me the ropes very early in life. They took me to games and helped me out over the course of my career,” he said
Taurai is a former national champion with Cavaliers, Cameo and JBC. He is also former Zimbabwean captain. On the other hand, Marvin made a name for himself at the now defunct Medusa South Central.
As for Younger, from his early years at Louis Mountbatten Primary School, it seemed predestined that his future lay on the hardwood floors of basketball, despite his dalliances in other sports like cricket, athletics and football.
“Louis Mountbatten did not have basketball, I was mostly a runner with my races of choice being the 200 and 400 meters. I also played a lot of cricket and football,” he said.
That all changed at Mt Pleasant High, where he caught the attention of seasoned coaches. They later groomed him to excellency.
“I caught the attention of Menard Masawi, who brought me into the Harare basketball side for the Youth Games.
“That is where I got the nickname ‘Younger”, I was the youngest in his team. No one really knew my name,” he said.
From there, his career quickly shot up, first leading to a move from Mt Pleasant to Churchill Boys High, were he collected four Top Schools titles.
He made his club basketball debut with Roderick Takawira’s Cameo in 2005 before getting into the Zimbabwe national team in 2007.
He continued this trend, winning titles with Cameo (3), JBC (1), the now defunct Mbare Heat (1) and his current club Harare City Hornets (2).
But, after all these accomplishments, both at international and club level, Chitsinde has never been able to grab the brass ring and move up to the next level.
There lies the problem.
“It is every player’s dream to move to semi and fully fledged professional leagues, but unfortunately, it seems like that is not the path I was destined to walk,” said the former Cameo forward.
“There have been offers over the years, but something always stopped me.
“During my Mbare Heat days, I was supposed to leave for France, with Vitalis Chikoko, for trials, but I got injured (ankle) weeks before the trip, and that fell through.
“I remember, it really stung, missing that opportunity and I did not play basketball for months due to depression.
“Soon after our participation at the 2015 AfroBasket Championships, there were offers from North African teams, but there was too much infighting and I feared for my safety.
“Most recently, InterClube of Angola expressed interest in me, but they went silent towards the end and my move fell through again,” he said.
However, Chitsinde’s role at Hornets and the emergence of an NBA league in have since brought a smile to the face of the talented forward.
A collaboration between the NBA and Fiba saw the birth of an African league, which is being spearheaded by former United States President Barack Obama.
The league is expected to have 12 teams. lt commences early next year.
National champions Mercenaries have been invited to take part in the qualifiers, but the opportunity is a sign of hope for Chitsinde.
“The African league is something every African basketball player is excited about. lt provides the opportunity to further one’s career with their current team, or they may be snapped up by one of the participating teams,” said Younger.
“I intend to concentrate on the things I have control over, that includes my club. We recently lost about five first team players and have since promoted some juniors.
“These kids need guidance and help to assimilate into the team. Being one of four remaining senior players, it is my duty to help and assist in any way I can, “he said.
Online Reporter