VINCENT Masiyano has been a burgeoning talent in his country’s basketball scene, and when you follow his progress, he looks to be on a path to fulfilling the promise of his abilities.
Masiyano, whose talents were partly nurtured and honed by the Brave Hearts, has already experienced career milestones. After joining the senior team in 2024, Masiyano, who is still in his teens, already has two BASMAL national titles to his name.
The 17-year-old had the privilege of suiting up for the six national champions at the Road to BAL, notching up a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) against Matero Magic in a final Elite 16 group game, which they lost 78-71.
Speaking to The Big Tip Off on Friday, a few days (Tuesday, 16 June) after winning the men’s U18 Soweto Uprising tournament final and being crowned MVP, Masiyano, who joined the club in 2021 from Likuni Clippers, reflected on Brave Hearts’ success in South Africa and the future.
“We trained for like two weeks for the tournament (Soweto Uprising), before I left with the senior team for Kenya. Coach said if we want to be recognised, we have to win this tournament. So one of the things we did was play good defence, and we made our shots… It feels great for us, it was our first international as a youth team, so we had to play good. We had to play good,” said Masiyano.
He gave a pointed answer on winning the tournament’s MVP accolade. “I was very excited to be part of the team, and I did not let my teammates down,” said Masiyano.
Having helped Brave Hearts clinch a historic sixth men’s club championship, he looks forward to having another Road to BAL run. Before discussing the upcoming Road to BAL, he spoke about the nerves he felt and what helped him settle in his first qualifiers for the Basketball Africa League.
“It felt great playing. I missed out two years ago because of my age, so it was great to be part of the team last year,” said Masiyano. “I felt scared because I was on the big stage, but Faad (Billy) told me, ‘Just free your mind, you will be good’. I did that, and it turned out good.”
Being one of the youngest players on the club, he looks to star guard Billy as an inspiration and credits him as one of the reasons he joined Brave Hearts.
“Yes, he is my role model. He’s got good handles, and he is very confident on the court. He is also friendly with us, his teammates,” said Billy.
Masiyano says the exposure to top-level competition has done wonders for his game. “I have improved my rebounding, blocks and going aggressive to the rim. In the Road to BAL, the players are taller, so you have to find a way around that,” said Masiyano.
Masiyano, who is in his matric year, will return with Brave Hearts to the Road to BAL after the successful defence of their domestic title. As the Malawian giants begin their preparation for the Zone VI qualifiers, he feels Brave Hearts will be more impactful this year.
“We are ready for it. We lost all our games (in the Elite 16). Now we must be ready,” said Masiyano.
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