SA basketball league needs shake up, says Vincent after MBB's early BAL exit
Premium
By ANATHI WULUSHE IN KIGALI - 26 May 2025
Experienced head coach Sam Vincent has bemoaned the current structure of SA's domestic Basketball National League (BNL), saying it needs to change if the country's teams are to be successful on the continent.
Vincent, a 1986 NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, was speaking after his Johannesburg-based Made By Ball (MBB) were eliminated from Africa's biggest tournament, the Basketball Africa League, in Rwanda on Sunday...
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
3 hours ago
- The Herald
Ellis wary of fatigue ahead of Banyana semifinal clash against Nigeria
'We won't overthink anything because we want to celebrate what we have done. As a technical team, we are already standing on one side talking about how we are going to plan and how we are going to prepare because 120 minutes with a day less to prepare and a day to travel takes a lot [out of everyone].' Ellis praised Banyana's resilience against Senegal and hopes to see the same against Nigeria. 'We have been practising penalties and we knew who our kickers were going to be and that's why we made the changes we made. We always knew Andile could save one or two; she had done [that] before. 'This was our first penalty shoot-out victory in the Wafcon. We lost it in the 2006 and 2018 finals. I don't have enough words to describe this team — the resilience, the courage, the never-say-die attitude and the willingness to fight for each other. 'No matter what they threw at us, we were able to withstand it.'
The Herald
9 hours ago
- The Herald
Boks ready to step it up against Aussies — Kolisi
After crushing Georgia 55-10, the Springboks are ready to move up another gear as they look ahead to their opening match in the Rugby Championship against Australia on August 16, skipper Siya Kolisi says. After experimenting in their games against the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia, the Boks are set to name a more experienced squad to face the Wallabies at Ellis Park. The 36-man squad will be named on Tuesday and is expected to include players suited to the way SA want to play in the Rugby Championship. Kolisi said the Boks were not completely satisfied with their performance at the weekend despite running out comfortable winners in Mbombela after leading 22-10 at halftime. 'It was a tough game. Credit to the Georgians, they came hard in the first half,' he said. 'Physically, they matched us most of the time, and we struggled at the breakdown; they were quite dominant there. 'So we were happy with the way we cleaned up in the second half. 'The problem was we weren't able to produce enough positives one after the other. 'We did something good and then we would make a mistake, so that slowed down our momentum. 'The game was also a bit slow and was very stop-start. 'But hopefully we can fix our problems and make sure that we build on our positives going forward.' The Boks fielded a new-look side against Georgia with props Boan Venter, Neethling Fouche and hooker Marnus van der Merwe all making their debuts. 'I am happy for the debutants and congratulations to them and their families,' Kolisi said. 'The coach is building squad depth while we are winning, and you can see the amount of competition in the group. 'The guys who played last week in Gqeberha set the standard. 'I think in the first half here we didn't live up to that standard and had to pick it up in the second half.' Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said he was satisfied with the win but attributed a stop-start performance to having rotated the squad throughout the four-match series (including the clash against the Barbarians). 'We're fairly happy if you look over the four games,' he said. 'We scored close to 50 points in each match and apart from the first Italy Test, defended pretty well. 'Georgia were physical and disruptive but that's not an excuse for us making so many errors. 'But I guess we must understand that if we chop and change teams like we have as we're building squad depth, you'll lose rhythm. 'We found that again in the last 20 minutes and we can be fairly happy with the scoreline, though one can always do better.' 'We'll name 36 guys on Tuesday for the Australia series and within that squad there'll be one or two guys that we experiment with, but the bulk of that squad will be experienced players who are suited to the way we want to play,' he said. 'The nice thing is that we've got a group of 48 players or so that we've used this year and there are quite a couple that we'd also like to give opportunities to, like Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Quan Horn and Renzo du Plessis. 'But this was a series where we wanted to experiment a little bit, so getting the scorelines we did is pretty satisfying. But the Rugby Championship is a step up.' Scorers: SA 55: Tries: Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe (2), Canan Moodie, Edwill van der Merwe (2), Damian Willemse, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Handré Pollard. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Handré Pollard (4). Georgia 10: Try: Vano Karkadze. Conversion: Luka Matkava. Penalty: Matkava. The Herald
The Herald
9 hours ago
- The Herald
World champion Junior Boks displayed great tenacity — Foote
Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote credited his team's renowned, trademark SA grit and fighting spirit for their victory over New Zealand in the World Rugby U20 Championship final in Italy on Saturday evening. SA U20 captain Riley Norton and the Junior Boks lifted the world crown on a humid evening in Rovigo, Italy, finishing the tournament unbeaten after a pulsating final against their fiercest rugby rivals. The hard-fought 23-15 win delivered SA's first U20 Championship title in 13 years, after their triumph over New Zealand in the 2012 final at a packed Newlands in Cape Town. Foote praised his team's defensive resolve and refusal to let the Kiwis back into the game, even when they were camped on the SA try line for long periods. 'Defence is all about character and there were moments when New Zealand were right on our line, but we held firm,' he said. 'From a coach's perspective, you can't ask for more than that. 'It was a real SA defensive effort and gees {spirit] that won it for us today.' Foote, who took over as Junior Bok head coach at the end of last year, also described his winning squad as a special group of young rugby players. 'I love our country and the Springboks, and I love working with this age group,' he said. 'To see these young men grow from training in December to what they have achieved now is amazing. 'Being on this journey with them has been incredibly special, and I'll never take it for granted.' Foote said he had always believed in his team, even when the New Zealanders were pushing hard to regain control. 'I looked at the players on the field and saw their body language — they were so present and in the moment. 'They had such a belief, and I'm incredibly proud of what they have achieved here in Italy.' Norton, who led from the front, said: 'The ball was so slippery, and your fundamentals had to be spot-on in these conditions, which was tough. 'There were a few handling errors due to the incredible humidity, and our jerseys were absolutely drenched in sweat, but I think we handled the conditions well. 'This win is for everyone who supported us back home.' The Junior Boks captain also credited their intense training in Stellenbosch for helping them adapt to the Italian summer heat. 'We actually adapted very well to the local conditions, even though it was winter when we left Stellenbosch,' he said. 'That's thanks to our conditioning and the fact that we are used to training in similar summer weather back home.' The Junior Springboks are expected to arrive back in SA on Monday morning. Scorers: Junior Springboks 23 (13) — Tries: Xola Nyali , Gilermo Mentoe. Conversions: Vusi Moyo (2). Penalty goals: Moyo (3). New Zealand 15 (5) — Tries: Jayden Sa , Maloni Kunawave. Conversion: Will Cole. Penalty goal: Rico Simpson. — SA Rugby Communications
