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Matsie, Kweyama focus on big picture ahead of CUCSA Games

TSHEPO Matsie and Thanda Kweyama usually sit at opposing ends of benches during basketball games. Still, for the next couple of days, the two men will work hand in hand to plot South Africa’s success in the 2024 CUCSA Games starting on Monday in the country’s capital, Tshwane.

Matsie, head coach of the Tshwane University Technology (TUT) men’s team and Kweyama, who sits at the helm of rivals University Pretoria, have fought many battles against each other on the court.

But on Sunday after a scrimmage game against Egoli Magic at the University of Pretoria’s Rembrandt Hall, both men sang from the same hymn sheet about the national cause being a priority. National team head coach Matsie says he and his assistant Kweyama have a friendship off the court.

“We both understand what is required… Despite the basketball stuff, he and I (Kweyama) are actually good friends off the court. Apart from that, USSA has appointed us to lead the team, so things like rivalry must be put aside. Right now the focus is to represent the country to the best of our abilities,” said Matsie.

**Tshepo Matsie will rely on the experienced heads of his team for this year’s CUCSA Games. Pictures: The BTO**

Kweyama noted that while the coaches are from opposing institutions – it is the same for the players. He also pointed out that they are learning from each other.

“We are working towards a common goal, so there is no clash of egos… Like ‘You beat me or I beat you this many times’. There is a common goal,” said Kweyama. “Also, most of the guys here are from rival schools, so it’s a good learning experience and where we get to share ideas and impart wisdom.”

Kweyama, a former TUT student and Pretoria Boys High School pupil will be experiencing his first taste of international basketball. He described getting the opportunity as a “dream come true”.

“It’s a dream come true. As the saying goes, patience is a virtue, so when you quietly and eagerly wait, these opportunities will come at the right time. So this is exciting for me,” said Kweyama.

“This is a learning process and I am getting used to the requirements at this level. So, this is also a humbling moment.

Matsie, while a first-time head coach, has had experience at the international level. The former Tshwane Suns player was an assistant to Mandla Ngema during the FISU World Student Games in China last year.

South African team assistant coach Thanda Kweyama — **South African assistant coach Thanda Kweyama is excited to coach the CUCSA Games.**

The two-time BNL champion says the Games in China were an eye-opener for him and gave him important insights on where South Africa needs to focus on, in its development curve.

“The level of basketball played around the world is different. Knowing what the international standards look like was great and when we returned home, we knew the adjustments we needed to make,” said Matsie.

“If you looked at the game we played (against the Magic), the intensity was high, meaning we can play at this level. It’s also good we have players who have competed at that level (FISU Games) returning to the team. We need that experience and it’s a big plus for us.”

Basketball in South Africa has been experiencing somewhat of a revival. Having hosted one leg of the Basketball Africa League and with the U18 AfroBasket for men and women coming to the country in a couple of months, it is clear that basketball in South Africa will be the big winner.

“This is huge for us. I think we are at a point where basketball is growing in the country. Hosting these kinds of tournaments will give confidence to players who play and those that aspire to play the game. They will see that there is an outlet for them,” said Matsie. “We are hosting the CUCSA Games now. Soon we will be hosting the U18 AfroBasket. From a basketball perspective in our country, we need this.”

The last word went to Kweyama. “It’s exciting times. I wish this happened every other year. People have the opportunity to see the value of the sport. If we can build on this momentum then we can have more people invest in basketball in the country,” concluded Kweyama.

Today’s games:

Women: South Africa vs Malawi at 6 pm (South Africa time)

Men: South Africa vs Zimbabwe at 8 pm (South Africa time)

Matsie revels in the TUT challenge

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TUT are the new sherrifs in town

THE change from being a player to a coach was not easy to accept for Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) Tshepo Matsie, especially as he was still enjoying going toe-to-toe against his peers on the court.

Matsie, who is in his third year of coaching the TUT men’s basketball first team, says part of him still feels like having a run on the court, but his role as coach has given him a different outlook.

“To be honest, I still feel like suiting up and playing. But I had to look at coaching from a coach’s perspective and not that of a player. I have to let the guys play and help them where they need assistance. I will not lie, it was challenging at first, because I really wanted to play, but I reminded myself that I am now wearing different shoes,” said 36-year-old Matsie, last Thursday during his team practice at the Tshwane University of Technology.

The former Vaal University of Technology (VUT) student and player accepted the coaching role at TUT, knowing that the institution’s basketball program was not the strongest. But he has enjoyed the task of transforming it.

“I was looking for a challenge and a program that was not recognised. I got a call from Dumisani (Chauke), who I know very well. She asked me if I could coach the team despite me not having had coaching experience before,” said the former national team player. Matsie says he made up for his lack of experience by turning to the lessons passed on to him by former mentors, who taught him the finer points of the game.

“I knew with the fundamentals I received from coach Florsh (Ngwenya), coach (George) Makena and coach Andile (Hlophe), I could take on this job and teach the guys the same principles I learnt when I was coming up as a player,” said the former Tshwane Suns player.

The knowledge that Matsie is now passing to the current crop of TUT players has yielded positive results. In his second season in charge of the capital city-based institution, the Mamelodi-born coach led the TUT to a semi-final finish in last year’s University Sports South Africa (USSA) tournament.

Reflecting on that run to the final four of the USSAs, Matsie felt the tournament brought good fortune and bad luck as well.

“We had a score to settle against UKZN (University of KwaZulu-Natal), and we wanted to face them in the quarter-finals. Losing our first group game against Wits worked in our favour. We won our next group games and got the match-up we wanted in the knockout stages.

“When we met UKZN, we beat them, but then we met Wits in the semis, and we lost. In a different time and space, we could have won, but we lost a key player to injury… these things happen. We have learnt from it and moved on.”

Matsie, a two-time BNL champion with the Suns and a three-time USSA title winner, wants his team to return to the semi-final of the USSA’s in December at the University of the Witwatersrand.

He feels that some of his career success can rub off on the players and says that the current crop of TUT players are in a better position to thrive.

“I think these guys are doing much better than we did when I was a student-athlete. The reason being we had a lot of great players. So I am in a position to share my knowledge and experience on how to win and I can also see in their attitudes that they also want to be successful,” said Matsie. “They are curious and are always asking questions like ‘how do we become champions’, what do I do in this playing scenario’ and ‘can I come after practice to work on my skills’?

“We did not have that when I was at VUT. So, to see these guys do that makes me believe that we will improve on last year’s performance.”

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TUT head to the USSA tournament with bounce in their step after beating cross-town rival the University of Pretoria (Tuks) in the final of the Tshwane District League, two weeks ago. Matsie says his team, who are 6-0 against Tuks this year, are in a good place. The TUT coach intimated that his team is now the one that sits on the basketball throne in Pretoria.

“It was a huge moral booster (beating Tuks). The guys are thinking of winning every game from this point,” said Matsie. He also reflected on the three victories, achieved on the homecourt of their arch-enemies.

“There is a new sheriff in town. TUT rules Pretoria. We wanted to show everybody that the days when Tuks used to get the better of TUT are a thing of the past. TUT rules Pretoria and we are one of the top five teams in the country,” concluded Matsie.

Matsie’s has brought a renaissance to the TUT men’s program and the confidence he has in his team is warranted. With the USSA tournament around the corner, TUT will definitely be one of the teams to keep an eye out for and after exceeding expectations last year, the sky can only be the limit for them.

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