Home | Sports | SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY - SNSRC CEO

SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY - SNSRC CEO

11/01/2019 00:54:00 BY SANELE JELE

Font size:

MBABANE – The Swaziland National Sports and Recreational Council (SNSRC) CEO Darius Dlomo has urged the Botswana-bound basketball 3-on-3 team to make their presence felt in the Young Lions Cup.

Dlomo was speaking during the farewell function which was held at the council’s premises in Mbabane yesterday.
The delegation is led by Swaziland National Basketball Association (SNBA) President Nhlanhla Maphanga, with FIBA official Mandisa Zwane, coach Bheki ‘Size’ Nxumalo also travelling with the team. It is comprised of Lihle Manyatsi, Leo Dlamini, Lungiselwe Mamba and Themba Noumonvi.

The team left the country yesterday morning for Gaborone, Botswana. The second edition of the Young Lions Cup basketball tournament will see the local ballers clash with opponents from Burundi, Comoros, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The tournament will commence on Saturday and end on Sunday. Teams will return to their respective homes on Monday.

“You have been chosen from a pool of hundreds of players so I urge you to therefore seize the opportunity and make the country proud,” Dlomo said in his opening remarks.

He further said the only way to measure the team’s potential was to participate in international competitions. “You cannot say you are the best until you outshine others outside our borders. This will be a test for the team and they need to prove their resilience in the tournament,” he added. He then wished them a safe journey.

Meanwhile, the SNBA President, Maphanga, said they were happy with the support they received from the council.
“We want to assure you, Mr Dlomo, that the team here has selected themselves. They were not hand-picked but they won their place to the Botswana trip by excelling in the two 3-on-3 basketball tournaments held in the past two weeks,” Maphanga said.
Meanwhile, coach Nxumalo said he was banking on Themba and Lihle’s experience.

“Themba was part of the team last year so his experience will come in handy. Lihle is also one player who is playing with elite players in the league, so he is used to the pressure that come with high intensity games. We are confident that their experience, when merged with that of the two other young ballers, they will form a competitive team,” Nxumalo said.