Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE newly crowned Dar es Salaam Basketball Association’s RBA League Champions Savio have been hailed by Tanzanian professionals playing for Malawi-based Bravehearts.
Amin Mkosa, the Tanzanian pointer who has joined the Malawian giants this year from the the RBA Champions; Kurasini Heat told the ‘Daily News’ from Malawi yesterday that he was delighted to see Savio winning the title after a shaky start.
Mkosa said: “I feel sorry for Kurasini Heat for not being able to defend the title, but at the same time am happy that Savio won it…. “You know I grew up in the game from Donbosco, yes I was part of Kurasini Heat success last year, but my mother team is Savio. I commend them for the win as I know it wasn’t an easy ride,” added Mkosa. Savio under head coach Evarist Mapunda has won the title by 3-1 games over tough contender ABC in the best of five final showdowns. They started the final encounters in sound note recorded 82-73 victory in the first series, but lost steam in second battle when they lost 79-82, before a strong comeback at third round to post a 83-64 victory before ending their mission with 99-83 win on Wednesday. Top player Hasheem Thabeet steered his team’s race to RBA League victory that helped the team to win the title it lost four years ago. Thabeet has contributed 52 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and 6 blocks for the Champions in their 99-83 win over Army team ABC who finished league second. The men’s third spot went to Ukonga Kings. Defending champions Kurasini Heat found the going too tough this time around, and it looked clearly that missing the services of one of their top players like Mkosa who is serving Bravehearts, affected them much. Besides playing for the Malawian giants, Mkosa has also been offered a Marketing Degree scholarship. Joyful Savio coach Mapunda said: “I thank God for this achievement; it has been three or four years waiting for this to happen. Competition was stiff as most teams were well prepared; teams like Outsiders were too tough to beat.” Mapunda commended all players for hard work and determination that eventually paid off. He also hailed Thabeet for coming as his presence helped to promote the game in general. “We have now planned to sit down and evaluate our participation. This year’s league was short and had many challenges including injuries to players, time to prepare for the coming nation
