Basketball lacks development in regions as national champioships kicks off in capital

THE Namibia Basketball Federation (NBF) has admitted that progress has been slow on the development of the game in the regions and vowed to intensify its efforts on that front.

This was brought home when the National Basketball Championships started in Windhoek yesterday. The championships this year only attracted seven regions, an increase of two from the previous year.NBF president Talitha Jario expressed concern about the unpopularity of the sport in some regions and said emphasis would now be placed on youth development, targeting primary and secondary schools.The regions that are actively engaging in basketball at this stage are Khomas, where a vibrant league is in place, while others such as Kunene, Erongo, Oshikoto, Caprivi, Kavango and Oshana are playing on a periodic basis with no real league structures in place.”Each region that was visited showed a lot of enthusiasm to assist the NBF in completing its mission of Vision 2008.Only with the success of regional development can NBF claim to have grown,” she said.The regions that have been visited by the NBF included Omusati, Karas, Kunene, Omaheke, Oshikoto, Oshana, Erongo, Kavango and Caprivi.Jario, who will serve as president for the next three years, said the NBF needed to intensify its Basketball Awareness Campaign by increasing activities in the regions.She said regional committees needed the support of the NBF, because they were still in their infancy.Jario also attributed the slow progress on the development of the game, especially at youth level, to the leadership that changes every second year.She said the constitution had been amended to allow the executive committee to serve for four years.Jario noted that a lack of facilities in many parts of the country was hampering the progress of the game, while there was also a need for qualified coaches and officials to help promote the sport.She added that the federation had taken initiatives to raise awareness about the social and moral values of the sport and will emphasise the importance of this during the tournament.The national championships were brought to life in 2002 and have been sponsored by NamPower, which started sponsoring basketball in 2000.According to NamPower’s marketing and corporate communications manager, John Kaimu, the company started sponsoring basketball at the recommendation of the Government’s Directorate of Sport.He said NamPower wanted to invest money in sport and was asked to sponsor basketball.Kaimu said the code has not been disappointing and NamPower would commit itself to the code for a few more years.The national championships is the biggest event on the basketball calendar and attracts men’s and women’s teams from the regions.This year, the competition only caters for Namibian players, unlike previous years when foreign players could also participate, Jario announced.She said this time, regional teams have been selected to play in the championships, and not clubs like in the past.The primary aim of the championships is to encourage the regions to develop the game and improve the level of skill and competition among the players.The championships this year only attracted seven regions, an increase of two from the previous year.NBF president Talitha Jario expressed concern about the unpopularity of the sport in some regions and said emphasis would now be placed on youth development, targeting primary and secondary schools.The regions that are actively engaging in basketball at this stage are Khomas, where a vibrant league is in place, while others such as Kunene, Erongo, Oshikoto, Caprivi, Kavango and Oshana are playing on a periodic basis with no real league structures in place.”Each region that was visited showed a lot of enthusiasm to assist the NBF in completing its mission of Vision 2008.Only with the success of regional development can NBF claim to have grown,” she said.The regions that have been visited by the NBF included Omusati, Karas, Kunene, Omaheke, Oshikoto, Oshana, Erongo, Kavango and Caprivi.Jario, who will serve as president for the next three years, said the NBF needed to intensify its Basketball Awareness Campaign by increasing activities in the regions.She said regional committees needed the support of the NBF, because they were still in their infancy.Jario also attributed the slow progress on the development of the game, especially at youth level, to the leadership that changes every second year.She said the constitution had been amended to allow the executive committee to serve for four years.Jario noted that a lack of facilities in many parts of the country was hampering the progress of the game, while there was also a need for qualified coaches and officials to help promote the sport.She added that the federation had taken initiatives to raise awareness about the social and moral values of the sport and will emphasise the importance of this during the tournament.The national championships were brought to life in 2002 and have been sponsored by NamPower, which started sponsoring basketball in 2000.According to NamPower’s marketing and corporate communications manager, John Kaimu, the company started sponsoring basketball at the recommendation of the Government’s Directorate of Sport.He said NamPower wanted to invest money in sport and was asked to sponsor basketball.Kaimu said the code has not been disappointing and NamPower would commit itself to the code for a few more years.The national championships is the biggest event on the basketball calendar and attracts men’s and women’s teams from the regions.This year, the competition only caters for Namibian players, unlike previous years when foreign players could also participate, Jario announced.She said this time, regional teams have been selected to play in the championships, and not clubs like in the past.The primary aim of the championships is to encourage the regions to develop the game and improve the level of skill and competition among the players.