Hasheem Thabeet to miss AfroCan basketball competition

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania's former NBA player, Hasheem Thabeet, will not feature in the continental basketball competition also known as FIBA AfroCan scheduled to take place from June 17 to 23 at Masaki’s International School of Tanganyika (IST) in Dar es Salaam.

Thabeet, who plays for the TaiwanBeer HeroBears in the T1 League in Taiwan, was named in the Tanzania national basketball team (The Tanzanite) ahead of the competition.

Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) secretary general Mwenze Kabinda told The Citizen yesterday that Thabeet’s agent is yet to confirm the player’s presence in the event and the deadline has been expired.

Kabinda said that they had submitted a letter as per procedures, but his agent had not replied to them.

“We also sent a reminder, but nothing has been done to us. Basically, our efforts have proved futile and we will not have Thabeet in the competition,” said Kabinda. When he was in the US, Thabeet played in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Portland Trailblazers, and Oklahoma City Thunders. The player entered the NBA in 2009 after being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies.

However, Kabinda said another Tanzanian international basketball player Atiki Ally Atiki will feature in the competition. He said Atiki, who plays for the BYU Cougars Club that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah, will arrive in the country next week to join the national team camp.

“We have communicated with Atiki, who has given us the assurance of featuring in the competition for his country. He will arrive in the country next week,” he said.

Atiki will join other players, who are now in residential training courtesy of the government. The players are under head coach Mohammed Mbwana and assistant Ashraf Haruni.

Apart from Tanzania, other teams to feature in the competition are Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan. Kabinda explained that the event is very important for Tanzania in order to qualify for the continental championship.

“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,” he said.