Historic Elite 16 qualification has the Dolphins believing they can challenge Africa’s established powers but Ndawanyana says physicality, rebounding and shooting must improve
BONGANI MALUNGA
Dolphins captain Kesaobaka Ndawanyana believes the club’s historic march into the Road to BAL Elite 16 has shattered any lingering doubts about whether Botswana basketball belongs at the higher end of African club competition.
Dolphins became the first Botswana basketball club to reach the Elite 16 after emerging from a demanding five-game qualification campaign in Lusaka with a 3-2 record. Their next assignment will be the East Division Elite 16 in Nairobi, Kenya, from November 23 to 29.
In an interview with this publication Ndawanyana indicated that the achievement carries greater weight because of what players had to overcome away from the court.
LONG JOURNEY
“This has been a long journey, full of sacrifices, sweat and tears. Being committed to sports and living up to professional standards as players is very difficult, especially where some guys don’t work, some have demanding jobs. I applaud my brothers for making history against all the odds,” Ndawanyana told Gazette Sport.
The qualification has also changed the way Dolphins see themselves, rather than arriving in Nairobi merely grateful to be there, Ndawanyana says their performances in Lusaka showed that the gap between Botswana clubs and some of the continent’s established teams is not as wide as previously assumed.
“We realised that we’re good enough, sometimes even better than the so called powerhouses. We’ve got good basketball players and the overall Basketball environment and competition has improved in the Country and This qualification is representation of this growth.”
CALCULATED PUSH
Dolphins built their campaign around a calculated early push, they beat Harare Kings 77-72 and Bravehearts 78-74 before later defeating Soweto Panthers 63-56, while losses came against Munali Suns and Ferroviário da Beira.
“The fixtures were very friendly with us to be honest.. the first 2 games were a must win. We were still fresh both mentally and physically. We stout to win the first 2, and chase 1 last win with the remaining 3 games. The strategy worked perfectly. We would’ve preferred to win all the games we played, but having this strategy made planning and distribution of minutes easier.”
Ndawanyana averaged 8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists across the five games. He made his biggest scoring impact early, posting 17 points and five rebounds against Harare Kings before contributing 13 points in the comeback victory over Bravehearts.
BEYOND THE MILESTONE
The captain is already looking beyond the milestone. Nairobi will expose Dolphins to bigger, stronger and more athletic opposition, and he has identified three areas that could determine whether their historic run ends at the Elite 16 or develops into something bigger.
“African basketball is very physical, we get to play against really big and athletic bodies. We need to match the physicality and intensity, while also adding our own identity which is playing fast and with flair. We need to shoot the 3point shot better because we’re going to need it alot. Our rebounding was also below average so that also has to improve. We take care of this and we’ll stand a chance to continue the fairytale story.”