New boss set to revamp basketball

. . . development plan in pipeline

NTHETHE MAPHAONG

MASERU – The newly-elected Lesotho Basketball Association (LBA) Committee has set itself a mammoth task – to have made Lesotho the standard bearers of basketball in the southern Africa region when it leaves office.

Throwing the gauntlet down at his executive committee this week, new LBA president Faku Masupha said the committee would take basketball back to the zenith and rekindle the faltering bond with fans.

Masupha told Public Eye this would be achieved through implementation of a web of strategic plans and concerted efforts by all stakeholders in the game.

“The only way to achieve our mandatory goals is through strategic plans that LBA members are going to execute and correlated efforts by executive members.

“A development pipeline for coaches, players, referees and women is already on the drawing board to ensure recruitment, sustainability and excellence.

“Performance-based execution will be our top priority as the new LBA commission,” Masupha said on Monday this week.

He said the general assembly of the LBA will be galvanised so it can, in turn, inject energy into sub-committees to ensure accountability and involvement of all interested parties in the basketball fraternity.

“We promise as the newly-elected LBA committee to work hard to upgrade basketball in the country.

“We have a solid youth and experienced team with the intellectual ability to elevate the level of basketball in the country. Our vision is to set a benchmark for basketball at the end of our term,” he said.

As new LBA boss his first priority was to develop and raise performance in targeted spheres of basketball namely; coaching, administration, players’ welfare and refereeing.

He said Lesotho has to produce quality players, especially with the 2020 AUSC REGION 5 games and 2022 3×3 Youth games Lesotho is going to host on the horizon.

“It is through united mechanisms that the LBA will get to it’s heyday, as a president I promise nothing but good leadership,” said the basketball head honcho.

Berea native Masupha is hoping to make a name for himself not only in basketball but in other spheres of life locally and internationally.

Masupha – founder, owner, coach of Bokamoso South and National University of Lesotho (NUL Rovers) coach – recently guided the 3×3 Lesotho basketball team against Botswana as technical director.

Outgoing LBA president, Francis Koma, expressed satisfaction with the newly -elected leadership, saying as the “toppled committee” they would fully support the newly-elected LBA leadership.

“We will support them all the way where they need assistance. We do not have issues with them. Personally, I am going to be behind them 100 percent in order to upgrade the standard of basketball in Lesotho,” Koma told Public Eye on Monday.

He said losing an election is part of democracy.

“For me, in ‘Democracy’ you have to accept the results of elections when you have lost. That is how democracy works.

“The basketball community has spoken and they have made their decision. I have to respect their decision. What is only left is to focus on the future of basketball and let the baggage rest in peace for the benefit of the growth of basketball in Lesotho,” he said.