National Club Championships

IN an ideal world, the upcoming South African National Basketball Club Championship would be an event worth celebrating — one to look forward to and write home about. Instead, much like previous editions, the organisation of the men’s and women’s tournaments scheduled for this weekend (19–22 September) in Cape Town has been farcical.

Given that these championships serve as the gateway to continental competitions — the Road to BAL and the FIBA Zone 6 WBLA Qualifiers — one would expect meticulous preparation. Careful planning should be the bare minimum. But not for this Basketball South Africa (BSA) executive. For them, doing the least seems to suffice. Serving the game appears less a responsibility and more a side hustle.

Given the stakes, why is the federation stumbling and tripping? It is hard to believe the federation was unaware that continental qualifiers are held around October and November each year. Would it be asking too much for BSA to structure their calendar accordingly and communicate with members in advance? Apparently, yes.

True to form, BSA has not failed to plan, but planned to fail. As a result, clubs and teams have been forced into a frantic race to raise funds for participation fees, travel, and accommodation at the last minute.

Worse still, the federation has bent its own rule book, cutting corners with guidelines that allow non-compliant teams into the championship. 

Take the Montana Vikings (men and women) from Cape Town, Rhodes Titans (men), and Hustlers Academy (women) from the Eastern Cape. These four sides at least qualified for the national championships as winners of their respective provincial tournaments. Meeting the guidelines set by BSA.

Meanwhile, teams that do not compete in district leagues or do not have junior or women’s programs found their way into the tournament. A glaring example is the newly formed Johannesburg Giants. They do not compete in the Johannesburg Basketball League, but they will be in Cape Town this Friday.

How is that possible? BSA, what is going on?

This is just one illustration of how low the custodians of South African basketball have stooped, ticking boxes for the sake of appearances rather than building a credible national competition.

Also concerning is the inclusion of the KwaZulu-Natal Marlins, a Basketball National League (BNL) franchise that only competes for three months a year in the BNL. By turning to the courts, the Marlins forced their way into the championship. And while they won the case, the fact remains: they don’t compete in any district league in the KZN Province.

What makes this even more contradictory is that BSA — through president Sanele Mthiyane and secretary general Sibongile Fondini — publicly announced last year that their license agreement with the BNL had ended.

All of this erodes the foundation of the sport. It undermines the importance of developing strong district and provincial competitions. And it strips the club championship of any real prestige.

The winners of this hastily assembled men’s and women’s tournament will eventually compete beyond South Africa’s borders. It will also be interesting to see how they will acclimate to high-level continental basketball.

If we were to use the Cape Town Tigers as a measure of ourselves, we would only serve to fool ourselves. That Tigers’ run to the 2024 BAL semi-finals was a shining moment. But their quick disappearance from the scene afterwards is a reminder that chasing short-term glory bears little to no fruit. And a bite from that fruit can often lead to a bitter taste.

Legendary gridiron coach Vince Lombardi once said, “The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Those involved in South African basketball would do well to take his words seriously.

Instead of rushing to tick boxes, it is time to put in the hard work and build lasting structures. It is what successful nations and clubs do. South Africa should be no different.