South Africa Basketball – We need your Support
02 JULY 2013
Egoli Magic finally make their BNL2014 season debut on the 5th of July. After a rather under par season last year, they will be looking to have a better run in this spell. Captain Lesego Molebatsi, who lead the league in rebounds last year and was selected as 1 of the BNL All Stars, will be looking to lead his troops for the 2nd season.
Though the Magic have kept cards about their roster tightly close to their chest, there are good rumours about the return of veteran jumpman Joseph Mazibuko to the line-up. Another name that has surfaced is that of Halick Moosa, a point guard who has already been tipped as 1 of the main Magicians this season. It sounds like Coach Jose Costa Leite is definitely locked and loaded for this season; it will be very interesting to see the rest of the players who make up the roster. This then, makes it fitting that the Magic’s debut will be against the champions Tshwane Suns. Last season’s matchup was split to a win apiece, which makes this game a definitely highlight for the calendar for the Tshwane vs Johannesburg rivalry.
The game between the Soweto Panthers and Western Cape Mountaineers will be an interesting matchup. Both teams have split their first 2 games of the season to a win and a loss, so both will be looking to tilt their early season towards a positive record. There will be some interesting head to head matchups with Lebesa Selepe going against Stephen Gabriel. The early season performances may point the win towards the Cape, with guys such as Brendan Mettler, Lyle Robertson and Captain Andre Ongenda combining very well on both ends of the floor. The Panthers cannot be denied though; guys like Mike Mukumbuta, Jonathan Van der Bijl and veteran point guard Mbo Bonunu have done enough to prove their value with great contributions for the teams they’ve been part of. Soweto’s youth may Coach Terry’s best weapon this season.
After 2 great games and wins to kick off their season, the Duzi Royals may have just shown their heart and soul. Where their biggest headliners in the off-season were their foreign signings, we were able to witness the local talent that they have assembled when they took to the floor. Their game against the Kwazulu Marlins is already dubbed an instant classic, as they rose to draw 1st blood in the bragging rights for KwaZulu Natal in the #KZNDerby.
They come into Week 3 to face the winless Eastern Cape Windbreakers. It will be interesting to see the approach that both Coaches will have coming into the game. A lot of people will be looking forward to see how the likes of young Celumusa Khumalo will fair against the Eastern Cape outfit after his 24-point outing against the Kwazulu Marlins. The Windbreakers are also steadily building; their recent results against the North West Eagles would have given them good confidence with the likes of Dinilesizwe Madikwa and Ridwaan Jobson having a better effort offensively. Siyabonga Naka’s double-double with 14 rebounds and 12 points is another stat worth noting.
The complete line-up for the weekend is as follows:
Saturday
• Soweto Panthers vs WC Mountaineers – 13:00
• EC Windbreakers vs Duzi Royals – 15:00
• Egoli Magic vs Tshwane Suns – 17:00
Sunday
• EC Windbreakers vs Free State Warriors – 13:00
• Tshwane Suns vs Kwazulu Marlins – 15:00
• Egoli Magic vs Northern Cape Zebras – 17:00
See you all at Wembley Arena.
Lock & Load