THE Made By Ball Club’s players were grinding and breaking a sweat on Monday afternoon at Mandeville Sports Complex. The scrimmage between the club’s first and second units was so intense and physical that it came as no surprise that there were a few bumps and bruises ahead of their historic Basketball Africa League (BAL) debut on Saturday in Kigali, Rwanda.
One of the players who felt the tough end of the scrimmage was floor general Dyvonne Pfachi. The Zimbabwean guard took a knock to the forehead, leading to his exit in the second half and him sitting out for the rest of the scrimmage, which was overseen by American assistant coach Dean Murray.
During his interview with The Big Tip Off, the 30-year-old seemed to have shaken off the after-effects of the hit to the head, intimating that it’s all par for the course.
“I feel great. We are playing well and coming together as a team,” said Pfachi. “Physically. I am feeling strong.
“Every practice is getting tougher and tougher. We are getting ready for the games this weekend. If you get knocked down you have to get back up and play hard.”
Made By Ball, popularly known as MBB, will need Pfachi’s tough-as-nails attitude going into the Nile Conference leg of the BAL. Host club APR, Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli and Kenya’s Nairobi City Thunder will test the mettle of iTeam yase dladleni in the conference.
As the Johannesburg-based club makes its much-awaited first appearance at the continental tournament, the Zimbabwean will also achieve a first. He’ll become the first player from his country to compete at the BAL.
While looking forward to playing the continental stage, he recollected the pain of previous attempts with home clubs Mercenaries and JBC and the lessons he learnt.
“I learnt I had to be mentally and physically strong,” said Pfachi. “We don’t often get the kind of competition locally where you know you are going to take hits and that there are no easy lay ups.”
He expressed his excitement at the feat of representing his homeland.
“It feels great. It’s a lot of weight. Everyone in Zimbabwe will be looking at me like I am that guy. They will say I want to be like that guy,” said Pfachi. So, it is a great opportunity for me to be an ambassador for my country at the BAL.”
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Part of their preparation for the BAL was playing the American team Rise & Grind. Pfachi says the two friendlies against their visitors last week were an indication of where their strengths were and where their weaknesses lay.
“We are ready for the games. The two matches helped us identify where we are strong and what we need to work on,” said Pfachi. “We won our first game and lost our second. I think that loss came because we did not play good team defence.
“So part of the scrimmage today was designed for us to learn how to play good team defence.”
To ensure a strong performance in Rwanda, MBB strengthened its roster by signing Ugandan shooting guard Robinson Opong, who competed in the inaugural BAL with Nigerian club Rivers Hoopers and played last season with his home club, the City Oilers.
Experienced South African big man Pieter Prinsloo, part of last year’s national championship-winning team, has also re-joined MBB from Rwandan club REG. Tennessee Tech giant centre David Craig, also from South Africa, will add more depth at the frontcourt with his potential to divert, block shots and score.
Despite being with the team for a limited time, Pfachi says the newcomers are adjusting well. He also pointed out that they bring much-needed quality to the team.
“They have come in, and I think they understand the system we are trying to play. They are great additions to the team. We have shooters outside and guys that can play inside,” said Pfachi. “So, looking at the team overall, we have what it takes to come home to Pretoria and compete in the playoffs.”
As Pfachi and MBB prepare for the trip to Rwanda on Wednesday, the journey to Kigali will afford both player and team the opportunity to bask in their achievements, because as soon as they land, the reality of top-level competition will set in.
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