NATIONAL basketball team Head Coach Mohammed Mbwana is upbeat to succeed as he drills his players for the FIBA AfroCAN 2023 Championship qualifiers.
The week-long competition is scheduled to tip off from June 17th to 23rd this year in Dar es Salaam bringing together teams from ten countries.
Mbwana revealed that in Dar es Salaam soon after unveiling the 22 players to form the national teams for the coming tournament.
He said the men and women’s squads have been blessed with a good number of talented players, but they need support from Tanzanians to enable them meet the desired goal.
“I want to thank the government through Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) for this honour to lead the national team.
“I want to promise that in collaboration with my colleagues we will work hard to ensure we represent the country,” he said.
He said together with his assistant Ashraf Harun, they have selected a squad full of experienced players with great potential and who have been doing well in the domestic leagues together with two players who serve in the foreign teams, he hopes to have great performance from them.
“In fact, we have positive expectations due to the quality of our team. Once we get information from TBF about when to start training, our task will be to develop a strategic plan that will strengthen the team in the offensive and defence and we believe the philosophy, or our strength and style will fit the type of players we have,” he added.
However, Mbwana has asked Tanzanians to support the team’s preparation and cheer them during the competition.
The national team is formed by overseas – based stars like Hasheem Thabeet and Atiki Ally (centres).
The Hero Bears club of Taiwan player is Thabeet while the youthful Ally plays for Brigham Young University (BYU) in the USA.
Other selected members of the national team and their positions are;
Point Guard: Alinani Andrew (ABC), Bernard John (Pazi), Joseph Peter (Pazi), Mussa Chacha (JKT), Salehe Buruhani (Dodoma Kisasa).
Shooting Guard: Ally Mohammed (Ukonga), Baraka Sadiki (JKT), Erick Lugora (Pazi) and Tyrone Edward (Ukonga).
Small-Forwards: Amin Mkosa (Dodoma Don Bosco Panthers), Denis Chibula (Pazi), Enrico Augustino (ABC), Salimin Juma (Dar City).
Power Forward: Fadhil Chuma (Pazi), Haji Mbegu (Ukonga), Jackson Brown (JKT) and Sisco George (Planet Mwanza).
Other centres are Fotius Ngaiza (Youth), Jimmy Brown (Ukonga) and Mwalim Heri (Pazi).
Tanzania will play against other Zone V teams from Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia.