Wits Bucks end their provincial league, winning all of their matches. Two Wits men’s basketball teams won the Gauteng University Basketball League for 2019. The teams won all 10 of their matches in their respective divisions.

The first division’s last game of the league was the highlight for Wits Coach Tshiamo Ngakane. The team won against the University of Johannesburg (UJ) on Saturday, September 7 at the University of Pretoria with a score of 68-63 to Wits.

“UJ is our biggest rival so that’s always a great game for us,” said Ngakane. “The intensity of that game was reminiscent of the final at national champs in July which we lost. It was great to get some revenge.”

He told Wits Vuvuzela that throughout the league the team’s underlying theme was the fight for redemption after the national champs where they only received a bronze medal.

Wits Basketball Committee Chairperson, Nametso Malatsi, said, “Everyone on the team wanted to improve and play their part in the success of the team.”

However, he mentioned that the team could be more consistent in practice.

“It’s often not in their control, many of us are studying very challenging degrees and don’t receive much support,” he said.

Players that particularly stood out for Ngakane included point-guards, Mvelo Buthelezi and Angelo Quinn, forward Everisto Pasipamire and guard Mosibudi Meela.

Buthelezi, a second-year architecture student, enjoyed the team’s unity throughout the league.

He told Wits Vuvuzela, “The asset of our team is the fact that we are family.”

“The team could improve on having each player improve their individual skills so that the team does not only rely on their best players,” he added.

Power forward, Miguel Ferrão, whose highlight was also the match against UJ, echoed the sense of family within the team.

“We have this unique character where it is more than just a sport for us. It is a thing of pride when we play basketball, a sense of togetherness,” he said.

The next big thing for the team is Varsity Cup in October which coach Ngakane said is “the biggest prize of the year.”

FEATURED IMAGE: Players of the Wits Bucks basketball team who were crowned the 2019 champions in he
Gauteng University Basketball League. Photo: Provided

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