Emmanuel Ramoshebi, star in the making

Top basketball team Troopers is steadily producing young stars who are billed to represent Botswana in the popular sport.Emmanuel Ramoshebi is one such star in the making. The 20-year-old Ramoshebi is making waves in the Botswana Basketball Association League (BBAL).He told Gazette Sport that he has been playing for Troopers for the past 5 years – since he was in junior secondary school. “I started as a benchwarmer. The bench that I sat on taught me a lot about patience and perseverance.Through watching the senior players, I was motivated to work extra hard and learn the skills and manoeuvres that they displayed on the court.”

 

 

Ramoshebi, currently a forward, has played a valuable role in the team’s wins in the league thus far. Besides scoring points he is known to set screens for the shooters by blocking the opponents so that the shooter can make a basket.“My team mates and I know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, therefore we are able to play well together and make score points. We’re a family and each player plays his part in the game. The bragging rights we get after winning our games are like icing on the cake!” He said.Ramoshebi, who boasts an impressive score sheet, is currently awaiting the national team under 23 try outs. He has represented Botswana in the national team several times, playing for the under-17 team while he was in Form 2 and 3, and the under-20 in 2012, travelling to Mozambique and Zambia.Troopers coach William Nyangu had nothing but good things to say about his player.

 

 

“Emma’s contribution to the team can’t be missed. He is a very talented and versatile player, playing two positions: forward and 3guard. He did very well in the national under-20 team. Even at club level he scores many points in the games, so he is going to be a very big star in the following years to come,with the right people by his side,” he said.Ramoshebi commented that he looks up to team mates Ratanang Tsayang, Thebe Morwagole and Mmoloki Moilwa. “These guys possess skills that I’m eager to learn in order to become a much better 3guard. I might be good at what I do, but I am still learning. Iwouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for Troopers,”he continued.

 

 

Commenting on the junior players’ skills,Nyangu commented: “We have many senior players in the team with lots of experience who have taken the young ones under their wings. We are grooming the junior players to take over, so we are hoping to get a few more young guys to join us,” he revealed.Some of the Troopers upcoming young stars in the making include Thebe Morwagole, Boemo Davis, Baboloki Modisang and Liberty Chakandinakira.