26/06/2024
I really commend the Botswana Basketball Association for their role in the development and partial success of basketball in Botswana over the past two years. Since COVID, there have been:
- League diversification and wider regional support
- An increase in international 3x3 participation for both genders
- A glimpse and the gateway to BAL (Basketball Africa League)
I would also like to publicly commend private organizations such as Dirurubele Tsa Rona, Young Athletes, The 13th Movement, Propellers, Heart City Basketball, and others for their constant involvement in youth development, youth international exposure, sport management, event coordination, and sports tourism.
It honestly warms my heart to see this type of growth in the sport we know and love so much. However, it is because I love this sport so much that I feel a great injustice is imposed upon all the players who have the chance to play basketball in this country.
Notice how in the first paragraph of this post I said "partial success of basketball in Botswana". That's because at the rate at which it's going? Partiality is all we will ever accomplish if we don't take control of this challenge:
1) Sports Science Education and Literacy.
I think we all know this is personal for me because of my academic and professional background. However, this does not discredit the fact that the majority of the leadership positions in this country have zero knowledge in this regard. How is this possible when sport is literally run by the science and the management of it? 😑
You have coaches who:
a) Have no clue about human anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, or even basketball biomechanics and how it's vital to athlete success. Players get hurt and you'll hear the coach say "Walk it off" or "Use the R-I-C-E formula" (i.e., rest, ice, compression, and elevation). They are literally blank in this regard. Let me not get started on promoting active muscle flexibility and rotational mechanics in their training regimes, but YET YOU WONDER why players are always getting hurt or performing poorly when it comes to the big stages?
b) Don't know the long-term psychological effects of their words, actions, and even inactions on fragile and/or well-developed minds. They say what they want, when they want, and to who they want without having to worry about negative repercussions. Oh, and they sleep just fine at night while some players have trauma for the next few years of their lives.
c) Choose their own immediate desires rather than considering the long-term effects it may have on players. Coaches will listen to their best player say "I'm fine" and then proceed to walk him onto the court because he or she knows it's their best chance of winning, without considering this athlete may rip his or her ACL with one wrong overextension or landing.
You have administrative management that:
d) Do a mediocre job at the office. Let's keep it a buck. However, I don't blame them. When you place people of little no to quality in power? You're going to get a league with zero to no value. Concurrently, consider the fact those in management positions have general knowledge of one or a variety of fields INSTEAD of specific in-depth knowledge that could ACTUALLY be applied to further the success of the sport itself. In other words? It is better to have 10 people with 10 different skills working on one project than to have 1 person who knows 10% of what each of those people know. Why do you think we're not really getting anywhere in terms of international recognition and excelling in international basketball standards? Do people actually know about Botswana Basketball? How many Botswana Basketball players are actually talked about in other places of the world? Do people look at our league and actually see competition? It starts here 📍 LEADERSHIP.
The BBA needs to look into this and actually invest their money into REBUILDING AND MAINTAINING A SOLID FOUNDATION OF THE ASSOCIATION. It's these types of investments that have a larger and more sustainable RETURN OF INTEREST on both the economy, the league itself, and athlete development. That's the blueprint ‼️
If you're a coach or part of higher management concerning Basketball in Botswana, one of these applies to you. I said it and I'm not sorry. Find out where you're lacking and take the steps to better yourself.
