SPORT in Action (SiA) in partnership with the Zambia Basketball Association (ZBA) is set to host the Felix Chileshe Memorial Basketball Championship. SPORT in Action (SiA) in partnership with the Zambia Basketball Association (ZBA) is set to host the Felix Chileshe Memorial Basketball Championship.
This year’s tournament has been set for the first week of August at Lusaka’s Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC).
SiA Executive Director Frankson Mushindu told the Lusaka Star in an exclusive interview that the event would attract community teams from various provinces of the country.
Mushindu said a mini-basketball children’s camp would run alongside the championship and would be managed by top local basketball players and coaches.
He added that the camp would be used as a platform to promote the game of basketball.
Meanwhile, Mushindu said ZBA coaches would use the championship to tap talent from far-flung areas beyond Lusaka and the Copperbelt provinces where the ZBA league is active and running.
“We are happy that from the past championships, a number of young girls and boys from different provinces have had an opportunity of being noticed by national team selectors. Some of these players had gone on to play in the national team at the Zone Six Games,” he added.
Mushindu said there is need to promote basketball in the country from grass root levels in order to have better teams in years to come.
The Felix Chileshe Memorial Basketball Championship is a baketball tournament held annually in memory of Felix Chileshe, Zambia’s first recognized International Basketball Federation (FIBA) umpire.