Former NBA player Hasheem Thabeet to feature for Tanzania in Africa basketball competition

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania's former NBA player Hasheem Thabeet has been included in the provisional national team (Tanzanite Senior) ahead of the continental competition, also known as FIBA AfroCan scheduled to take place in Dar es Salaam in June.

Thabeet, who played in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Portland Trailblazers, and Oklahoma City Thunders, now plays for the TaiwanBeer HeroBears of the T1 League in Taiwan.

Thabeet entered the NBA in 2009 after being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Together with Thabeet, another Tanzanian basketball player who plays abroad in the US, Atiki Ally Atiki has also been included in the national team. Atiki plays for the BYU Cougars club that represents Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah.

The two players will join the other 20 selected by Tanzanite Senior head coach Mohammed Mbwana, according to Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) secretary general Mwenze Kabinda.

Mbwana is assisted by Ashraf Haruni. Other players, according to Kabinda, are Alinani Andrew, Bernard John, Joseph Peter, Mussa Chacha, Salehe Buruhani, Ally Mohammed, Baraka Sadiki, Erick Lugora, Tyrone Edward, Amin Mkosa, Denis Chibula and Enerico Augustino.

The list also includes Fadhili Chuma, Haji Mbegu, Jackson Brown, Sisco George, Fotius Ngaiza, Jimmy Brown and Mwalimu Heri. Kabinda said the team will set up camp in Bagamoyo, Coast Region, next week as currently they are seeking permission for players from army clubs.

Apart from Tanzania, other teams to feature in the competition are Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia.

Kabinda explained that the event is very important for Tanzania in order to qualify for the continental championships.

“This competition is for men’s senior team only. We have been given a chance to host it because of our conducive environment and passion for the game in the country. TBF is now struggling to raise Sh62 million to successfully host the competition. It is our time to qualify for the African event,” said Kabinda.

He explained that Tanzania has many talented basketball players, who need intensive training before featuring in the competition.

“We are determined to do our best in the competition and secure the chance. We call upon stakeholders to give us support as TBF cannot facilitate the competition alone,” he said.

The AfroCan (alternatively known as the FIBA AfroCan) is a men’s basketball continental competition in Africa, which is played biennially under the auspices of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Unlike the AfroBasket, AfroCan is only open to all players featuring for basketball clubs based in Africa. In 2017, a new calendar by FIBA changed the AfroBasket from a biennial to quadrennial tournament. As a consequence, the AfroCan was created to fill up the void.