KESAOBAKA Ndawanyana. A cornerstone, mainstay, talisman and star player. Those words describe his longevity and impact at Botswana’s Dolphins Basketball Club.
Speaking to The Big Tip Off after the Dolphins made a seismic shift in continental basketball, he used a simple term to explain his value to the team. He is a constant.
To provide context, many players came and went, but Ndawanyana remained with the pod. While the Dolphins dominated Botswana’s courts, recent regional Road to BAL qualifiers were too big a tide to swim against.
During those difficult times, when losses were more frequent than wins and teammates came and went, Ndawanyana stayed resolute and firm in his belief that he and the Dolphins would reach the other side of the Road to BAL mountain.
“I love this stuff. I love the competition. I love the game of basketball, and I love my country. So, any opportunity to represent those things, I will take,” said the Dolphins captain.
“If you look at the team that we had when we first went to the Road to BAL 2020 and the squad we have right now, I am probably the only constant.”
He embraces those early qualifier setbacks as part of the growth process. “It’s been a great experience… Great growth for me as a player and leader. I got to lead different characters and personalities,” said Ndawanyana. “Overall, as a club, we have grown mentally, and we understand that we are as good as anybody else. As long as we believe in our skill and trust our preparation, we can make something happen. That’s what happened in Lusaka.
“I feel the real growth was not necessarily in skill set. It has been in the mental side of winning games. We tweaked and these are the results. When you prepare mentally anything can happen.”
Ndawanyana was, of course, talking about the Dolphins going from a team that made up the numbers in the past Road to BAL qualifiers to one that eventually broke the ceiling and qualified for the Elite 16 tournament in Lusaka, Zambia, after falling short in previous campaigns.
The Gaborone club improved on their previous 2023 win record (2-1), when they hosted the Road to BAL qualifiers but fell short on points differential. Fast forward to Zambia, their impressive performances led to a 3-2 record and saw the Dolphins rise above water, making the huge jump to the next stage.
Ndawanyana, who averaged 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists during the Zambia qualifiers, attributed the Dolphins’ success to their readiness. He says from the start of the domestic season, the young players had a different attitude.
“The way we prepared this year was different. I remember on our way to Zambia, my youngins were telling me, ‘Cap, we are gonna do it for you; we gonna qualify.’ That’s exactly what they did,” said Ndwanyana. “They led. They dominated the domestic league. That was the sign that we were actually going to compete this year.
“I give credit to my rockstars. They held it down and led in setting the standards and believing we can go deeper in the Road to BAL.”
As the club’s veteran, his never-say-die spirit etched itself into the club’s DNA and filtered through to the players. Having carried the scars of war on Southern Africa’s basketball, what lessons has he learnt from battling some of the region’s best players?
“I always believed in setting the example… Being the guy who is the hardest working. Going to the (Road to) BAL showed me hard work doesn’t have a limit, and there are guys out there that work harder than me,” said Ndawanyana. “Hard work has no limit. Just when you think you are there, there is another level. The sky is the limit all the time.”
Ndawanyana spoke about the impact of their achievement on players like 6ft11 (2.12m) centre Dingani Motswadira and shooting guard Tlotlo Tshekega, who used their minutes wisely in Lusaka.
He says the example set by senior players for younger players set them on their current path.
“There are a lot of young guys who look up to us. They look at us, how we train, where we come from, and how our league compares to others. I feel ours doesn’t pay that much, but they compete despite all those odds,” said Ndawanyana. “It’s going to be a humbling journey for them, but they are gonna have a breakthrough because, for the first time in Botswana, we have good sides now.
“We have guys that compete at the highest level. I hope the money is going to start coming in now.”
The import players were just as impactful. American recruit Dallan Coleman, German Adrian Breitlauch and South Sudanese duo Makur Jongkuch and Peter Marial brought in another level of professionalism to the Dolphins.
Ndawanyana says the quartet quickly integrated into the team, showing their new teammates how things are done at the levels they competed.
“Those are great professional players. I love how they quickly interacted with the team. They started leading. They started teaching the young players how this and that is done,” said Ndawanyana. “The first thing they did was show how a professional has to train, how to stretch, how to eat and how to carry themselves when they go out. Our players learnt a lot from that culture of professionalism.”
The appointment of Cameroonian coach Auguste Siedjou, who joined just before the regional qualifiers in Zambia, did the trick for the Dolphins. Seidjou brought structured play, which Ndawanyana says was a breath of fresh air compared to the run-and-gun style they are accustomed to.
“Coach Seidjou is an intense and demanding coach,” said Ndawanyana. “One thing I noticed about ourselves, in Lesotho, and even South Africa, is that we were sporadic and all over the place. Coach Seidjou brought in a proper system where we run plays. It’s just not one pass, second pass, then attack; we have to run the full set. It was difficult, but enjoyable for us to learn.”
Ndawanyana and the Dolphins will face the examination of their lives at the Elite 16 tournament (22 November to 29 November) in Nairobi, Kenya, where Tanzania’s Darcity, Uganda’s Namuwongo Blazers and familiar adversaries Ferroviario da Beira await in Group B. He understands the scale of the assignment, and he hopes the club’s management does too.
“Teams mean business. They are recruiting heavily, and we have to match that. Clubs that have been there want to go back,” said Ndawanyana. “It’s going to be physical, so we have to adapt. We are gonna be ready to compete. We are not going to the Elite 16 to enjoy Nairobi. We want to cause some upsets, and hopefully the fairytale story will continue.”
To many, the Dolphins’ run was unexpected, and only they and those in their inner sanctum believed they could reach the Elite 16. They exceeded expectations, and as Ndawanyana, the leader and the Dolphins’ BC heartbeat, says, the sky is the limit for him and his teammates.
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