HBA Super Six: Gameweek 9 Promises Competitive Start to 2024

KINGSTONE ZIMUNYA

HARARE—The Harare Basketball Association's Super Six League returns for its first Gameweek of 2024, scheduled for this Saturday at the Sunrise Sports Club.

The Harare Basketball Association Super Six comprises of the top teams in Harare Province, from both the men's division and the women's division.

Premium Club Basketball—HBA Super Six

This is a departure from the format that was used in previous seasons.

Teams making up the Super Six Men's Division are:

JBC
Basket Hounds
Arcadia Bucs
UZ Stars
Leopards Academy
Mbare Bulls

For the women's division, the following teams were selected:

UZ Sparks
JBC
Vixens
Fillies
Bunnies
Harare City Hornets

The Harare Basketball Association also has an A League in place for both men and women, battling it out for a slot in next season's Super Six.

The second season of the Super Six started on November 11 2023, and so far, eight gameweeks have been played.

Saturday's matches make it Gameweek 9, out of a 25-game season.

Gameweek 8 Wrap: Super Six Men's

In Gameweek 8 played on 22 December 2023, JBC trumped Mbare Bullets 94-63 and UZ Stars walloped Arcadia Bucs 77-62. Leopards Academy edged Basket Hounds by six points to win 83-77.

Top of the pack—Log leaders JBC in action at the BAL East Division Qualifiers.

As for the standings, only six points separate log leaders JBC and bottom of the table Mbare Bullets.

Basket Hounds and Arcadia Bucs are tied at 12 points. Leopards Academy and UZ Stars are at fourth and fifth with 11 and 10 points respectively. Acardia Bucs and JBC have a game in hand each.

Gameweek 8 Wrap: Super Six Women's

In Gameweek 8, JBC Women's demolished Fillies 48-20, while Vixens and UZ Sparks battled it out with UZ Sparks coming out on top 65-59. In a low scoring game, Fillies defeated Harare City Hornets 44-36.

JBC Women's team

UZ Sparks lead the standings, with a 100% win record. JBC and Vixens are tied at 13 points, having won 5 and lost 3. They're only separated by JBC's impressive defensive record. The team has the lowest points against tally in the league at 245 points. Fillies are fourth with 10 points and Bunnies and Harare City Hornets are anchored at the bottom with 8 points.

Gameweek 9 Preview

Gameweek 9 is promising fireworks. Second Basket Hounds and fifth UZ Stars are matched up in the first game of the day. Fellow second placed Arcadia Bucs are up against log leaders JBC. Leopards Academy take on bottom placed Mbare Bulls.

Gameweek 9

In the women's division, Fillies are up for a double fixture, taking on UZ Sparks early in the day and Vixens at 1400hrs. Bunnies are up against JBC.

Basketball: Zimbabwe's Next Big Sport

Forget the performance, Zimbabwe is a sport loving nation.

No matter how many world competitions we fail to qualify at, no matter how many administration scandals arise, doesn't matter if the stadiums haven't been upgraded since independence, we do love sport.

While football is the staple, and cricket is the sometimes heartbreaking sweetheart, basketball has been on a steady rise in Zimbabwe.

Spurred by the global superstardom of NBA superstars like Lebron James and Steph Curry, basketball is becoming popular amongst schoolboys and university jocks, and the Super Six is a distillation of the premium basketball talent in the nation.

This can be confirmed by log leaders JBC's appearance at last year's BAL East Division Qualifiers.

Having conquered in the first round, the team fought valiantly in the second round but fell short. Although they faltered, JBC men's captain Benson Nyatanga took away some crucial lessons.

JBC Men's Captain Benson Nyatanga

Speaking to Zimsphere Sports, he said his biggest takeaway from the experience was,

"In order to win basketball at the highest level, proper planning is required. Basketball is not only played on the court, but also off the court.There is need for proper structures."

Hopefully, he and the JBC team will be taking these lessons for the remainder of the Super Six season. Nyatanga had this to say about the resumption, "League is resuming this weekend and there is no need to get comfortable because all teams are arming up considering the transfer period is now open."

Nyatanga expressed confidence that JBC can take it to the finish line, adding, "If we continue with the same attitude, we might have a chance to win most, if not all games that are remaining."

They've been there before, having won the inaugural season of the Super Six in 2022, but this is a new, challenging season. "We have been there before so it's not something that we can say is impossible. It won't be easy though, because of the competitiveness of the league," quipped Nyatanga.

The vibrance of the Super Six wouldn't be possible without the tireless contribution of the Harare Basketball Association.

In an interview with Zimsphere Sports, HBA President Mr David Pick said his association is looking for capitalise on basketball's global influence to develop the sport in Zimbabwe.

"Basketball is the second fastest growing sport in the world and as HBA, we will also piggyback on that success," he explained.

He expressed satisfaction at the level of competitiveness in the league, saying;

"The HBA Super Six League has grown in a way that has actually surprised us. We knew the potential it had but we didn't anticipate the level of competition amongst the participating teams."

In a bid to develop the sport, the HBA has introduced a three tier junior league for all the schools in Harare province, among other initiatives.

"As HBA we have started a J league comprising Under 16s, Under 18s and under 20s teams from all the districts in Harare. We recently hosted an under 20s tournament which attracted 12 teams," said the administrator.

He continued, "We are using these tournaments as platforms to identify and groom talent for the next generation. We are already working progressively with the National Association of Primary Heads and National Association of Secondary Heads as well."

The Harare Basketball Association is securing the future of Zimbabwean basketball, while cultivating a competitive league to develop Zimbabwe's best basketball talent.

The Super Six can only get more exciting, and is an excellent precursor to a national league in the future.