Basketball is an increasingly popular sporting code in South Africa. With this in mind Paulitos Basketball Academy wants to promote this sport among the youth of Zwelihle as well as the broader Overberg region.
Paulitos was established earlier this year by Paul Dyantyi and Ndumiso “Ndura” Xorile, the team’s coach who is also a former basketball player. “We want to show the youth that there are other sports besides rugby, soccer, cricket and netball,” Xorile said. “We want to promote basketball and develop local talent so they can be exposed to the professional leagues. I want to expose the youth to opportunities I never had so they can one day become professional basketball players.
“Our biggest focus group is the young players from nine years old and up so that we can develop them from a young age in order to build a strong senior team for the future.”
Currently Paulitos Basketball Academy has approximately 30 players of different ages. According to Xorile the team is open to players of all ages, genders and races and from all areas.
Two of the biggest challenges they face, said Xorile, is the fact that they do not have suitable training facilities and that there are very few teams in the Overberg against which they can compete, leading to them having to travel to the Cape Metropole for games.
“We currently train at the old tennis courts close to the Zwelihle Taxi Rank. This isn’t ideal because the tar makes it easier to get injured and basketball is an indoor sport,” Xorile explained. “I have reached out to Qhayiya Secondary School, where I previously coached the team while I was a learner, to ask if we could use their facilities, but have had no luck.”
To promote the sport of basketball further and to ensure its players are in top shape Paulitos Basketball Academy needs equipment such as basketballs, cones, hoops and a proper basketball court.
Xorile added: “We appeal to the community to assist us with donations that will help to cover travelling costs because we have to travel to Cape Town to compete and for our players to get the proper exposure so they may be selected to the provincial or national teams.”
Recently, the team members took part in an event hosted by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport at Qhayiya Secondary School. “We were so excited, but when we arrived we discovered that no other basketball teams had pitched up,” said Xorile.
Hyped up for a match, the players quickly got their own mobile hoops to compete in a match against each other. Despite these pitfalls Xorile and Dyantyi remain dedicated to growing the basketball academy and promoting the sport. Paulitos currently has approximately 30 players ranging in ages from 9 to 16. They train Mondays to Fridays, from 16:00, at the Zwelihle Tennis Court on the corner of Jikileza and Sisulu Streets.
Anyone who wishes to join them can contact Xorile on 063 938 2498.
