DAR ES SALAAM (Tanzania) - With enough facilities and more investors on board, basketball in Tanzania will move up a notch, according to former NBA player Hasheem Thabeet. Tanzania's celebrated star is determined to create a platform for the youth to embrace the game and ensure it grows by leaps and bounds in his homeland.
With facilities and more interest, basketball can rival football
His vision is to make basketball as popular a sport as football, because the interest in the game is huge. What Tanzania needs are the facilities and more investors to come on board and make this a reality. "We are there. We just need facilities. We need more investors for basketball. For years Tanzania has been doing football, it's about time we start doing basketball at a very high level". He told FIBA.baskerball in Nairobi last month. He revealed that he is already building relationships with the players, coaches and youth. He conducts clinics and skills training with the youngsters whenever he is back home in Dar es Salaam.
"We need to build a platform in Tanzania for the youth to grow in basketball instead of growing up and finding basketball like I did at 16-17. We want them to find basketball at a young age and enjoy it." Thabeet said there are a lot of things he wants to do for the youth through basketball and he believes he is on the right track. The immediate concern is to build relationships for the players, for the coaches and with all the youth who are interested in the game.
"I do clinics, I do beach training in the morning. I do four to six free basketball clinics; I do a lot of things back home," he said. His efforts have already begun to bear fruit, with more children coming to the games. And more want to learn.
Strong competition between schools can help spur growth
There is no big inter-school competition in sport in Tanzania, he said, and the challenge remains how to have a young generation and train them to prepare for big competitions. His concern remains how to gather the younger generation and groom them to prepare for the 2028 Olympics. The 7ft 3in (2.21m) athlete, who turns 38 next month, offered: "We have kids who are going to high school in the States (USA). We can bring them back and they can play for our national team later on.
Deng's achievements in South Sudan inspiring
He admires the efforts of South Sudan Basketball President Luol Deng in transforming the game in his country and believes Tanzania is on the right track. Building such a platform remains his ultimate dream. "He (Deng) has done programmes in the UK, Australia, South Sudan and the USA. Now he is bringing children from all over the world. That's the goal. To get kids into high school in the States. "We are blessed with athleticism. We are blessed with height. We are smart guys. I just think it's a matter of time and we'll get there," said Thabeet, whose vision is to take Tanzanian basketball to the professional level.
Dar City's podium finish in EABCC event a sign of good things to come
Now nearing the end of his career, Thabeet saw the positives in Dar City's podium finish at the inaugural East Africa Basketball Championship Cup (EABCC) tournament in Nairobi. He played a key role in the team winning the silver medal and received a recognition award. The achievement means a lot to Tanzanian basketball as they worked hard day and night to get there: "We worked hard day and night. I am trying to take Tanzania basketball up. This means a lot," he said. His team-mate Nathaniel Brownee was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the championship.
Dar City won four of their five games, losing only to eventual winners Remesha of Burundi. The former NBA star played college basketball at UConn before being drafted second overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009. He also had stints with the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
FIBA