BY ADRIAN MWANZA –
THE Zambia Basketball Federation (ZBAF) is courting two countries for practice games ahead of the 2017 Afro-basketball tournament qualifiers.
ZBAF general secretary Mwembe Kaona in a statement said the federation was courting Kenya, Rwanda for both the men’s and women’s national teams.
Kaona said the federation was also looking at organising another friendly with a top club from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He said the move was aimed at according the teams the best preparations possible so that they qualify the teams to the Afro-basketball.
Kaona said the friendlies were planned for next month and hoped that they would materialise in order for the coaches to access the teams.
“We are looking at organising friendlies for both the men’s and women’s national teams in order to prepare them for this prestigious tournament slated for Congo Brazzaville.
Kaona said ZBAF had made some changes and appointed University of Zambia coach Cuthbert Tembo and Australian born Liz Mills to handle the senior national teams along with Obert Shamboko of Matero Magic and Lunga’s Connell Kandala.
He said Tembo and Mills last year put in a proposal on coaching and qualifying the senior national teams which prompted the ZBAF to consider them.
“Tembo and Mills proposed on how they would help the teams qualify for the Africa Cup which would be in Congo,” he said.
He said the executive considered the position that the national sides needed to gauge their strength and also provide the coaches an opportunity to assess the players and make adjustments where need should be.