The battle of the Sonics
A LACK of big match temperament and erratic personalities among players are the hallmarks of Seshego Sonics u/18 side's inconsistency.
SESHEGO – A LACK of big match temperament and erratic personalities among players are the hallmarks of Seshego Sonics u/18 side’s inconsistency.
This is how their head coach Simon Madia Khoza described their yoyo-like performance after their weekend fixture programmes.
This exciting weekend extravaganza was staged at the Polokwane campus of Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) indoor courts under the patronage of the Limpopo Basketball Association’s Capricorn district.
Six competitive teams from the Polokwane municipality were on display in the celebrated slam dunk and, indeed, they did not disappoint those who packed the indoor arena.
The fixture programme featured the hosting side TUT Heat, Polokwane Hawks, University of Limpopo Bulldogs, Solomondale Pacer and the two Sonics sides.
Sonics’ youthful exuberance enabled them to trounce TUT 33 on Friday evening but could not keep up the same momentum on Saturday when they succumbed to their Sonics senior counterparts who walloped them 46-35 in the battle of the Sonics.
The young Sonics are still reeling from their dismal showing at the May Day Tournament held in Nkowankowa a fortnight ago where they failed to negotiate to their way to the semifinal stages.
At the May 1 tourney, Sonics were still holding bragging rights after an excellent display of hoop and dunk that saw them finishing second at the annual Mamelodi Easter Basketball u/18 Tournament.
Khoza remained unperturbed about the status quo, citing the learning curve his young charges were going through.
“These boys are still young. People should take into consideration that they are playing in the senior league while all of them are still within the 17- or 18-year age group. “I am a bit less stressed about their inconsistency because in some cases they manage to beat teams featuring senior players. This is a positive development mission because by the time they are over 20, they would have gained a lot of experience in the game.
“At the moment, they still need to be nurtured on how to control their emotions when the going gets tough on court. If they can overcome this demon that often degenerates into erratic behaviour, I can put my head on the block that they can demolish any team at any tournament in the country.”
Full weekend results: UL Snipers 28 vs Pacers 14, Pacers 14 vs Sonics Ladies 26, Bulldogs 61 vs Hawks 64, Hawks 57 vs TUT 29.
