Pick any of the above and this pretty much sums up basketball at top level management in South Africa.

Let’s not forget that every time a professional league begins, it has to be cut short due to lack of funding.

Where does all the sponsorship money go, no one knows because there are no accounting books to reflect every penny spent?

South African men’s basketball according to the  Federation International Basketball Association (Fiba) world rankings are No 68 in the world. Just above South Africa in 67th position is Rwanda.

The women are level with Guinea in position 71.

Where does a country like Rwanda still find time to play basketball during an internal war and still beat South Africa in the rankings? That says a lot about the state of basketball in South Africa. 

To add salt to the wounds, Angola are ranked 15th in the world and there are no less than 13 African countries that are ahead of us in the world rankings.

Is it all doom and gloom for South African Basketball?

Fiba  World doesn’t think so and that is why they have decided to step in and take the bull by the horns.  After two years of negotiating with Basketball South Africa Fiba World sent a representative, Nelson Isley, to coach the first ever Fiba international Level 1 across South Africa and I had the privilege to attend the five-day theory, practical and examination clinic. 

Coach Nelson as we call him has been to over 90 countries and coached many national teams but he is now on a mission to get Africa on track, starting with South Africa.

He believes that South Africa is the key to unlocking Africa’s potential of talent and to possibly feed the NBA with more African stars.

Being a coach at provincial and assistant at national junior level, I have seen basketball over the years in South Africa being run by greedy money grabbing autocrats who don’t have one ounce of interest in developing basketball but are in their positions due to political or monetary affiliations.

I have doubted for some time now it will ever come right. I am correct in one thing but wrong about development.

Lurking beneath the rotten stench of management, there seems to be a thriving community of coaches that are fighting back for change at youth level.

There have been huge strides by amazing individuals to drive basketball in South Africa. 

They are achieving this by empowering themselves through courses at their own expense which will aid them to better equip young ballers in the hope of producing tomorrow’s great South African basketball stars.

Coaches of the likes of James Mthethwa, Ronald Garura, Cobra Nhandamo, Martin Hoffman and Brent Fick are just some of the many incredible coaches I have had the privilege to either work with or meet that have vision, passion, leadership and a burning desire to grow basketball in South Africa.

I shared the hopes, dreams and aspirations of many fellow South Africans.

I pray for good hoops for children practicing their shooting, in their townships and communities, good leaders with passion at top level management, good clubs for ballers to call their second home, more qualified coaches, seeing more South Africans in the NBA, one day beating Angola in the All African Games  and most importantly South Africa competing at the Olympics.

If you believe… like I do, then change can come about!

- Sean is a sports scientist and director of Advanced Sports Performance.

Catch his column every fortnight. Follow him on Twitter SeanVStaden,  contact him on sean@advancedsp.co.za or visit the website www.advancedsp.co.za