Duo ready for Zimbabwe tourney
Malawi basketball teams, Central Knights and Mimbulu, face a daunting task when they participate in Lakers Invitation Tournament from today in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
The Lilongwe teams arrived in Zimbabwe yesterday after travelling by bus.
Mimbulu are in Group A alongside JBC, Hustlaz and Nust whereas Knights were drawn in Group B against Mercenaries, Falcons and Giants.
This is a real test for the Lilongwe teams. Malawian basketball teams struggle on the international stage.
Nonetheless, Knights Captain, Lucky Makonokaya, said the players were ready for the challenge.
“We are in high spirits having won the Central Zone Basketball League (Cezobal) championship. We want to show them that we are champions. We did well in Swaziland and I do not see why we should struggle in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Francis Cho, Emmanuel Phiri and Ivor Mulenga are among Knights’ players that have travelled to Zimbabwe, where other teams have been drawn from Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa.
His Mimbulu counterpart, Leonard Banda, said his side wants to prove a point on the international stage.
“This is the first time for us but we want to pull a shocker. The sky is the limit. We are confident that we can do it,” Banda said.
Knights also travelled to Swaziland for a tournament in June when they were eliminated in the group stages after winning two games and losing twice.
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