tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43574877049054252582024-03-05T07:04:46.690+00:00ReboundGHEllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05556171460244757887noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-25683410781442469252016-05-16T00:48:00.001+00:002016-05-16T07:59:30.260+00:00You Called It, Ref!<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y3qCBs8ZtRk3O9HK81KlEZrUGg7V-9peY9KGgx-4eb70dUVHl3FgjO7Urr1NedDwaA92MwzevdT4wwpoqBNS5btQ0XPQCcP5kfe4xSHZ3nSbLLj0MjAEyRfxWV0BVooBxug4fOuK7u4g/s1600/1263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y3qCBs8ZtRk3O9HK81KlEZrUGg7V-9peY9KGgx-4eb70dUVHl3FgjO7Urr1NedDwaA92MwzevdT4wwpoqBNS5btQ0XPQCcP5kfe4xSHZ3nSbLLj0MjAEyRfxWV0BVooBxug4fOuK7u4g/s640/1263.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let it be known I may burn at the stake and by that I mean be a target but I don’t care anymore; not after recent events. I think it is time the player spoke out as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I love the game of basketball; ask my sore knees and severally twisted ankles. They’ll vouch for me. I love competing because I get to see just how good I am and it turns out I’m not half bad. So everything should be a piece of cake on the court huh? Wrong! This is the part I stick my face into a cold bucket of water and scream till my lungs get filled.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My growing problem when it comes to playing basketball is the referees in the division one series of men’s basketball in the Accra Basketball League. Now, I am no wuss and I sure as hell don’t like to make excuses when playing. You can foul me hard but as long as I had a good look at the rim and did not score after, I’d wave it off because you’ve got to be tough. As you read this, I’ve had one of the roughest games ever; I got three elbows to the mouth, two head butts to my stomach, two slaps and a scratch on my face. I look beautiful if you are wondering. What I am not happy about is I did not even receive a single call when these acts were committed in the plain sight of the referees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of them actually took the whistle out of his mouth and told my opponent to <i>“stop the nonsense”</i> or he would call a foul. My point is, it had already happened and no call was made because the referee didn’t feel like it. Whining you say? Maybe, but there comes a time in a man’s life when he’s got to do what he’s got to do and at this time it’s to whine like I’m Goldilocks running from the three bears.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmMYvtHNQbm-AzTGgXo1gSq41tPZJiEPhEvQMl9kEh7TwM6db1dNLnMNbwCRe9dGnoail0DBa6-9SyMM8PKH66z954Av31fohL_hyphenhyphenJtKCvS4vv0y_fhVEosWqI_dwf-ZQsV11udMeDbni/s1600/2072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmMYvtHNQbm-AzTGgXo1gSq41tPZJiEPhEvQMl9kEh7TwM6db1dNLnMNbwCRe9dGnoail0DBa6-9SyMM8PKH66z954Av31fohL_hyphenhyphenJtKCvS4vv0y_fhVEosWqI_dwf-ZQsV11udMeDbni/s640/2072.jpg" width="640" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The referees watched as I was hacked and bashed so hard even Freddy Krueger would have felt sorry for me. They brushed it off like you would a fly. However, touching the opponent or even grazing them led to calls that were raining harder than a hailstorm. The fans at Lebanon House saw it all, some were livid, some were obviously enthused about it and I just wanted to run over some officials with a tractor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s their sense of power and entitlement that really grinds my gears. Referees shouldn’t be biased but they made their allegiance evident; it did not help that my coach called them out and challenged some of their procedures. It just added to it all. How many times has somebody been given a bit of power and abused it? Too many times, too many times. It happens across the country so naturally it has to manifest in a basketball match.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They started calling fouls where there weren’t any. One time, a teammate found the ball in his possession and on jumping seemed to have hit a wall in the air. The crowd shouted “and 1” after the foul, the referee said travel… </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sacré bleu!</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Now my tirade is almost over and let me make it clear it is 80% of the referees that seem to be this way. I play pickup with the other 20%, they’re cool. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In all honesty, we have a problem with our game officials in the league. Just ask anyone who plays in it and gets on their bad side. Just like our smartphones need updates to function properly, these guys need to be updated too because their glitches are harming the game. I heard the league wanted to do things differently and change for the better this year, I wonder if these referees need a hint.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Written by David Maja Salako (</span></i><a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/Linkingwordz" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; line-height: 14px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none !important;"><span style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">@</span><span class="u-linkComplex-target" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Linkingwordz</span></span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 28px; text-align: justify;">)</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-23109467966198577542016-04-25T08:28:00.001+00:002016-04-26T08:56:41.353+00:00The Mon Amis<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9BumfrheuwqcfrM0cribyeSyVuyumnVZJQDJ9KnUPhyFgXG0Ox05mPXkxg9C2PEdOdyKp6OAxa8O0EtZZ4oXSj1dS2txZ2-QLZGUZcHmQvWb5sCMCG0nPwdHr9f72e7WcCfqPDl5OBMD/s1600/IMG_0521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9BumfrheuwqcfrM0cribyeSyVuyumnVZJQDJ9KnUPhyFgXG0Ox05mPXkxg9C2PEdOdyKp6OAxa8O0EtZZ4oXSj1dS2txZ2-QLZGUZcHmQvWb5sCMCG0nPwdHr9f72e7WcCfqPDl5OBMD/s640/IMG_0521.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Forgive me, my French fails me more times than I’d like to admit. However, there is one phrase I and probably every basketball player in the country can say that would fool any French speaking native. You guessed right; <i>mon ami</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the court, you’ve got to communicate as my coach always says; be loud! Be loud! So obviously, you have to know names because "chale", "herh" and "boss" might not work if a guy foreign to your culture sees nothing but the rim on the drive. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The solution? Inculcate a bit of foreign tongue into your regular pick-up session and voila, you establish a connection. With this simple rule in mind, it is safe to say every Francophone baller in the country (okay, maybe Accra) is referred to as </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">Mon Ami </i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">at some point in time. I wonder how they feel about it though, being profiled, sort of. Ever wondered what we’d be referred to as if we were in their country?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anyway, these guys ball hands down. They are rough and tough and don’t call petty fouls and by petty I mean a vicious elbow to the jaw. Stuff that you don't just walk off; they play through. Their dynamism and attitude towards the game is really refreshing. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I can’t help but feel their culture of the game is on a whole different level and it is witnessed just by watching them play. They are like the tough pieces of meat you occasionally get in your food; you know, the type that exasperates you so bad you just lay it down and ask the heavens why.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In short, you've </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;">got to show some love and respect to the </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">Mon Amis.</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;"> Far from home usually in search of higher education or a better livelihood, balling in a foreign land. Without a doubt holding their own and earning our respect in the process.</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Written by David Maja Salako (</span></i><a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/Linkingwordz" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none !important;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14px;">@</span><span class="u-linkComplex-target" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none !important;">Linkingwordz</span></span></a>)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-56590408926003369122016-02-13T21:17:00.000+00:002016-02-14T22:57:12.679+00:00The Game Of Character<div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">CHAMPIONS OF GABL D2 LEAGUE</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">FIRST QUARTER:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was the first game of the season. The wait was over. The irreplaceable euphoria of playing in the 2015 Greater Accra division 2 basketball league was palpable. Coming off a strong pre-season, we were very confident going into this season. And why wouldn't we be. At the helm of affairs, we had one of the most confident people I have ever known. "You guys are the best team in this country", he'd often say. This may sound inconceivable to most, but he meant every single word of it. He only hoped that message could resonate to his players and that they would espouse that confidence and self belief. And we did. I mean when the man speaks, it's impossible not to believe him. We played the Reformers (junior team) in our first game. During our pre-season, our junior team gave them a good game and we actually beat their senior team. Hope this perspective gives you an idea about how big an upset it was when I tell you that we lost our first game to them. Yea, we did. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">SECOND QUARTER : </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And there it was. It was as though our demons of last season had reared their ugly heads again. To some extent, the seed of doubt was planted in our coach's mind and consequently that cascaded down to us. You see, self confidence is a good thing but an overdose of it sometimes engenders complacency and that has its concomitant problems. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the space of a 40 minute game, our minds which were hitherto filled with self belief and high expectations for months leading to the start of the league had suddenly been supplanted by self doubt and confusion. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgiaquot";">That loss reaffirmed the most important lesson we had learnt in our abysmal season last the year before; that NOTHING was going to be given to us. If we think we are the best then we should prove it every time we step on the court. After the game, coach reiterated that and threw a challenge to us and himself to simply back it up. We won our next game convincingly and then lost the next to the "<i>Bad Boys Detroit Pistons</i>" of our league (the Police team). However, in lieu of keeping our heads down and feeling despondent after another loss, we were proud of our efforts. To us, all wins and losses are viewed in perspective. We don't necessarily judge our wins and losses by the scoreboard. How we play, how we execute our plays, how we communicate with each other, making reads, understanding why a decision we made is good or bad, how assertive </span><span style="font-family: "georgia ms" , sans-serif;">players are</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , sans-serif;">, how players garner the courage to execute skills in game like conditions. To us, those count as wins and losses. Don't get it twisted, the final score on the scoreboard is not inconsequential to us, however it's imperative to understand that winning the war ultimately, is contingent on winning these little battles. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We lost our next game against Galaxy Basketball team and to be honest, it was a lackluster performance to say the least. It was a roller coaster season for us up to that point with highs and lows. But we knew we had to stay unflappable and focus on the ultimate goal. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">THIRD QUARTER: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">I join</span><span style="color: #444444;">ed </span><span style="color: orange;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/dynamicsbasketball/">DC Dynamics</a></span><span style="color: #444444;"> abo</span><span style="color: #444444;">ut five years ago. At that time I just wanted to play organized basketball. I loved this game so much, and It was all I could think about. It was pretty simple for me. I just wanted to improve and showcase my skills and hopefully make a profession out of it. As time went on I grew to understand that it wasn't that simple. It's not just a game. It's a powerful tool that can influence your life and the life of others. I learnt that there are so many aspects of the game that transcends into our daily lives. Hard work, team work, punctuality, confidence, sacrifice, passion,etc. And what better way than to use something that kids love to teach them these virtues. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I first joined, what I saw was in stark contrast to what I was used to seeing everywhere else in this country. I saw kids between the heights of 6'1 and 6'5 execute guard skills. This concept was alien to other basketball programs in Ghana who invariably taught them to basically live and die in the post. To some extent this is understandable considering the inherent lack of length in our basketball fraternity in the country. But these kids shouldn't be limited to some skills at the expense of others. That thought process alone epitomizes the culture of Dynamics. I was taught to challenge the status quo and push the frontiers of my abilities, as were my teammates. Mostly after our games people ask me why our "bigs" are always outside the paint. It's simple, our offense is predicated on every player being dynamic; being able to execute all skills that the game provides irrespective of their size or length. We needed to win our next 6 games to be crowned league champions and we braced ourselves for this prodigious task. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">FOURTH QUARTER: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We gave coach Feranmi a Gatorade bath. Every player cut a piece of the net. We were jumping and jubilating all over the place. It was absolutely bedlam with players showcasing all their dance moves. Well, that's how it happened in my dreams the night before our championship game. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Conversely, we were all kinda laid back after we won it all. The reticence was bemusing to say the least. We had won it all. We won our last six games and were champions of the league. It then dawned on me. We weren't laid back after winning the championship because we were not excited, but because we knew how good we were and we finally backed it up. It was about damn time! I felt like an entertainer making a crowd go wild and then just dropping the mike and walking off after a performance. Yea, we got it like that. I sometimes wonder how a group of working class men who are limited to one or no practice a week, be such a formidable and organized force. It's quite the conundrum. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As the years go by, our basketball hours are mitigated due to other commitments, but the love and dedication never wavers. In the course of our season, encouraging words were echoed repeatedly. "Brick by brick, good is the enemy of great, focus on the little battles, focus on the task". In the NBA teams have film sessions, players only meeting, etc. These intangibles are equally as important as what happens on the court. It calibrates the mind to focus on the goal. At the beginning of the season, after our first loss, we became the laughing stock of the league. The chatter was that we were underachievers. We were in an unsafe place. A place life presents us in different ways and in different times. But we knew all we had to do was to get rid of self doubt and more importantly be indefatigable in our quest to be great in any situation we find ourselves in. At the end of the day it wasn't just a basketball game, it wasn't just a division two league, it was a story of character. The story never ends. It beckons for a next chapter. And the success of this chapter becomes a benchmark for the next. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">KAI KAI KAI - FUBAAAAAAAA!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Written by: </span><span style="color: orange;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/niilantei.blanksonmills?fref=ts"><span style="color: black;">Nii Lantei Blankson Mills</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Photos: </span><span style="color: orange;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/S_A_imagery-337802662968650/"><span style="color: black;">Sena Asante</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Inspired by: Coach Feranmi, Dennis Boateng, Nana Yankah, Billy Mubarak, Sena Asante, Charles Fordjour, John Mensah, Nii lankai Mills, Nana Boakye, Patrick Obeng, Alwyn Bruce, Mingle Archibald, Reggie Boateng, David Maja, Emmanuel Mensah, Francis Okunade, Jayden Boateng(team mascot).</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-54527494854359902242015-11-02T08:44:00.000+00:002016-02-06T13:41:44.023+00:00Is Rhythm and Rims Raising The Bar?<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Even though it has been the most consistent league in the country, there's no arguing that the Accra Basketball League has lacked the growth and development required to keep both fans and players interested in the game. Many tournaments and leagues have sprung up over the years in an attempt to provide a more exciting alternative that would raise the standard of play while still keeping fans attached to the sport.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9Ztd59CPAnOdPvv_9bpx1335nKKzsMPo8oHgmi0hQ-PTeeKFpPL83_2ZBJGmNEqXvPbxNog2NnzmCviw9Qm1FAw-4czwg3nHsdCP1MDmJl_6Mse5phqpU13NlomCyxcEayaiEjuUL2TR/s1600/IMG_6479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9Ztd59CPAnOdPvv_9bpx1335nKKzsMPo8oHgmi0hQ-PTeeKFpPL83_2ZBJGmNEqXvPbxNog2NnzmCviw9Qm1FAw-4czwg3nHsdCP1MDmJl_6Mse5phqpU13NlomCyxcEayaiEjuUL2TR/s640/IMG_6479.jpg" width="0" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Cape Coast vs Ashaiman on match day two</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That wave hasn't just been in Accra; Tamale had a short league a couple of years ago, Takoradi had a league running for a couple of years and Kumasi has the XBL now which is attracting hoop fans to various venues every week. Yaw Sakyi and his Rite Multimedia team over the past decade have also organized various tournaments for young players all over the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"We do not have a problem making the trip every week if this standard is going to be maintained", said Claudius Thompson, head coach of the Cape Coast team, "When we played in the Accra League, you didn't even know what you were playing for and my team was the second best team in the league for a couple of years", continued the man whose Cape Coast Hoops were once the most exciting team to watch in the country. If you're not sure yet, he's talking about the now rush! Community Basketball Tournament which has been going on at the Accra Polytechnic basketball court every Sunday afternoon for the past three weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The tournament put together by Gametime Entertainment is a 10 week, 10 team league for seniors with teams from Cape Coast to Tema boasting a $3000 price for the winning team. The tournament has attracted a host of the nation's top players, a bunch of who play in the Accra League already. I've definitely heard more than one player in conversation talk about they will quit the Accra League to play in this new league if it's going to happen in subsequent years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've been to all three game days and I wouldn't mind spending the rest of this year's Sunday evenings at the Accra Polytechnic basketball court<i>(says a prayer to the rain gods to spare us on Sundays)</i>. This league so far has had the closest thing to the whole package we've ever seen in Ghana basketball. The timing, the music, the people, the dancers, the artistes(VVIP passed through yesterday), the hype, the players and most of all the organization has been remarkable so far. Another thing worth mentioning is the organizers' ability to get very well known brands to sponsor the event. It is a well known fact that it's not an easy task getting sponsorship deals for basketball events in Ghana especially one that includes a big brand like Adidas and rapidly growing company like rush! energy drink.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A few concerns have however been raised by members of the basketball community about the tournament, the chief of which has been if Gametime can maintain the high standards they're setting with this maiden event. "It's hard to commit to anything long term right now as most of what we are able to accomplish has everything to do with support from the community teams as well as sponsors. We are working hard to make both parties continue to believe in us. If this happens, the sky is the limit", Lewis Fadipe, head of the Gametime team responded when asked.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-91652293641944478142014-04-08T07:20:00.000+00:002014-04-08T07:23:04.719+00:00Amida Brimah Becomes First Ghanaian to Play & Win NCAA Title Match<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Brimah(35) and teammates start celebrating.<br />Photo courtesy: <span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://reboundgh.blogspot.com/search/label/Amida%20Brimah" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">University of Connecticut freshman and 7ft Ghanaian centre, Amida Brimah</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> became the </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">first Ghanaian to ever play on a team in Division 1 NCAA championship game - and win! We've been following Amida's progress right from the day he left the shores of Ghana to play ball in the states and have even made jokes about how all Ghanaian hoop fans got to turn to Husky fans because of him - </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, there's still limited vacancy on the Husky-bandwagon; you can grab a free seat.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Nmh2E9ykKyDBInudvDaoXCWTmB9l6K-91P_DoBdecRG-KynfLZfaf-igleEzvE7lEtHP0Zao5Fq-HlY8Q6LSNxF5-xxU5g8KFuvhYPKpg0dNmHqAkj1SkAQamvuLV-h1pepdRBz3XeGl/s1600/usp-ncaa-basketball_-championship-game-connecticut_013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Nmh2E9ykKyDBInudvDaoXCWTmB9l6K-91P_DoBdecRG-KynfLZfaf-igleEzvE7lEtHP0Zao5Fq-HlY8Q6LSNxF5-xxU5g8KFuvhYPKpg0dNmHqAkj1SkAQamvuLV-h1pepdRBz3XeGl/s1600/usp-ncaa-basketball_-championship-game-connecticut_013.jpg" height="306" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Brimah and Napier</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy: <span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Amida's team also became the first 7-seed team to win a national title increasing the Huskies' trophy count to 4 of 4 appearances in championship games since their first trophy in 1999. Their coach; a Husky himself and former NBA player Kevin Ollie, who played on 13 teams in a 12 year is also among the few coaches to have won a national title within 2 years <i><a href="http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8790495/kevin-ollie-uconn-huskies-basketball-coach-receives-new-five-year-contract">after signing a five year deal</a>. </i>Twitter kept buzzing with tweets of excitement for his success from former NBA teammates including Allen Iverson, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Amida's numbers weren't monster numbers. This UConn team was led by senior guard and most outstanding player of the 2014 tournament,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabazz_Napier"> Shabazz Napier</a> who <span style="line-height: 16px;">finished with 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. His six-game NCAA Tournament averages were 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals. Brimah finished the game early with foul trouble(as usual) having made<a href="http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2013-2014/1314mb40.html"> no points, 4 rebounds and 1 block in 13 minutes on the court.</a></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga72ks-3DhREkxJkJUg_VDz7vcQ4WOv-PF0kXsh1HGPGBMl49-w3GuarlD08etIST5k8c_REcGZF73vdjq7zZmjTMUTj1KxnP1IIbYOxOmGhW5HkQNcMlO6oPB_XZMicYSgpwE4K67KfmJ/s1600/483296189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga72ks-3DhREkxJkJUg_VDz7vcQ4WOv-PF0kXsh1HGPGBMl49-w3GuarlD08etIST5k8c_REcGZF73vdjq7zZmjTMUTj1KxnP1IIbYOxOmGhW5HkQNcMlO6oPB_XZMicYSgpwE4K67KfmJ/s1600/483296189.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Napier goes for 2 of his 22 while Brimah looks on<br />Photo courtesy: Getty Images</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Amida's story couldn't get better, <i><a href="https://vine.co/v/M5WlFPel2Q2">well apart from the fact that he got nastily dunked on in the championship game.</a></i></span></span></div>
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<iframe class="vine-embed" frameborder="0" height="600" src="https://vine.co/v/M5WlFPel2Q2/embed/simple?audio=1" width="600"></iframe><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-8018167625596272512014-04-07T10:21:00.001+00:002014-04-07T10:21:14.876+00:00Video: 2014 Republic Hall 3x3 Slam Dunk Finals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Saykan Bestman(SB) and Kwame Boamah(KB7) throw it down on the last day of the 2014 Republic Hall 3x3</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-87704867257566137082014-03-24T14:43:00.002+00:002014-03-25T10:14:47.732+00:00Photos: 2014 Republic Hall Week 3x3<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year's Repor Hall week 3x3 was run by Dynasty Basketball Association (DBA) as part of the Dynasty 3x3 Tour; the first ever 3x3 tour in Ghana. The winners of this tournament have qualified to play in the grand finale in December in Accra for the chance to be national champions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Vipers; a team of Kumasi based high school players upset the tourney favorites(ABC from Accra) to take home the 400 Cedis plus 2 Samsung phones prize.
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Click </span><a href="http://www.3x3planet.com/events/details/TMZ14BWCYRFTWGHA" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">http://www.3x3planet.com/events/details/TMZ14BWCYRFTWGHA</a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> to view full details of results from the event and for information about other qualifiers.
It's time to take your game from the STREETS to the WORLD STAGE.
#GhanaBasketball #Dynasty3x3Tour </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This event was organized by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DynastyBasketball">Dynasty Basketball</a> in collaboration with </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/dynamicsbasketball" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">DC Dynamics Basketball</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> and Rebound GH.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-25862032544304108162014-03-16T12:51:00.000+00:002014-03-16T12:55:48.964+00:00Dynasty Basketball 3x3 Tour <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZbjpBVh1lLp95BGzwtbbSO6tHIsGUW2F8kwmacUKGibSASqIMKWHT9Qh6NNL_2CqeSLSvjjdAbWcUzU97ZwnzJ-5_YvDsa2QqDntrWMLjvURhcUsvEGRmDRLDr6kQqsLFRe1-wh6GJOG/s1600/1520761_10152163615304415_284784253_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZbjpBVh1lLp95BGzwtbbSO6tHIsGUW2F8kwmacUKGibSASqIMKWHT9Qh6NNL_2CqeSLSvjjdAbWcUzU97ZwnzJ-5_YvDsa2QqDntrWMLjvURhcUsvEGRmDRLDr6kQqsLFRe1-wh6GJOG/s1600/1520761_10152163615304415_284784253_n.png" height="147" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-6039-0-0-0">The Dynasty Basketball Association(DBA)</a> is organizing the first FIBA endorsed <a href="http://www.3x3planet.com/">3x3</a> tour in Ghana. The tour which is being organized in partnership with <a href="https://twitter.com/ReboundGH">REBOUND</a> and the <a href="https://twitter.com/GhanaBasketball">Ghana Basketball Association</a> will give up to 200 basketball players from across country the chance to take their game to the FIBA 3x3 world stage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The tour consists of three qualifiers between January and September and a grand finale in December. The top three teams in each qualifier will receive cash prizes as well as get automatic qualification to the grand finale event in Accra. The grand finale winners will be eligible to play in FIBA's world tour. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The qualifiers will be held in three different locationsu and the locations are:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- 1st Qualifier (20TH – 22ND March ): Republic Hall 3x3 Tournament KNUST Kumasi</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- 2nd Qualifier (19th April) : Easter 3X3 JAM Accra</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- 3rd Qualifier ( July) : Varsity 3x3 Challenge Accra</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- Grand Finals ( 26TH – 27TH December): DYNASTY BASKETBALL 3X3 TOUR FINALS Accra</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Register here > http://www.3x3planet.com/events/details/TMZ14BWCYRFTWGHA</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-34447590483035095082014-03-12T12:25:00.001+00:002014-04-16T10:40:07.537+00:00Amida Brimah Makes AAC All-Rookie Team<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6fImnRwDp-J_F3iejE0sMxyqdrrWupGIDewkbgatGqXuwN2s39ssP0hM34ldz4ds-oddmW9CQBm3jt1HoNbU6letpa3F-_9ner367NpRpU2YQ2HeaXCUDfQsl5fMfAu5QKWrb4WdDD6e/s1600/amida+plaque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6fImnRwDp-J_F3iejE0sMxyqdrrWupGIDewkbgatGqXuwN2s39ssP0hM34ldz4ds-oddmW9CQBm3jt1HoNbU6letpa3F-_9ner367NpRpU2YQ2HeaXCUDfQsl5fMfAu5QKWrb4WdDD6e/s1600/amida+plaque.jpg" height="241" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Brimah showed off his plaque on his IG</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://theamerican.org/news/2014/3/11/MBB_0311140245.aspx" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The American Athletic Conference(AAC)</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> announced its All-Conference and All-Rookie teams for 2014 earlier this week. If you are a basketball fan in Ghana, this should interest you because 7 foot centre Amida Brimah made the All-Rookie team.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Brimah who's averaging 4.0ppg and 2.8rpg (but 5.1, 3.4 in the AAC) is still being described by many writers as a raw talent. The freshman from Accra is a natural shot-blocker and is third in the league with 2.5 bpg while playing 15.3 minutes a game; the leader has 2.9 bpg. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCMeV_DnGBzprc8hGBrVSYbKapO0YKgm1rOPGIgnfyzSIp9RQKemWtjkbovFUgd3XocF-vXoiSHunJaINQZXUgrYvs25nBVQkEMHpTbV3rMcqcUIA8m9Z0shrBnHxB_fn5fMuxcSOpIM2/s1600/APBrimah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCMeV_DnGBzprc8hGBrVSYbKapO0YKgm1rOPGIgnfyzSIp9RQKemWtjkbovFUgd3XocF-vXoiSHunJaINQZXUgrYvs25nBVQkEMHpTbV3rMcqcUIA8m9Z0shrBnHxB_fn5fMuxcSOpIM2/s1600/APBrimah.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Amida goes for block.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #292727; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Coaches who faced UConn in January, and again later in the season, were impressed by Brimah's development, so his selection was no surprise. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; line-height: 22.5px;">"He is getting better by the minute," Brown said on Feb. 23. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px;">Said Louisville's</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px;"> </span><a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.courant.com/topic/sports/basketball/rick-pitino-PESPT0016656.topic" id="PESPT0016656" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px; text-decoration: none;" title="Rick Pitino">Rick Pitino</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px;">: "He has gotten a lot better, and he's going to be a great one when it's all said and done."</span></span><br />
<div style="color: #292727; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.middletownpress.com/sports/20140111/amida-brimah-beginning-to-blossom-for-uconn" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Brimah's breakthrough game came against Central Florida on Jan. 11, when he had 20 points and eight rebounds.</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The all-rookie team was filled with big men, including Memphis' Austin Nichols, a favorite for rookie of the year honors, and John Egbunu and Chris Perry, both of South Florida. The lone guard was Louisville's Terry Rozier.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">AAC individual awards to be presented Wednesday include player the year, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, scholar athlete of the year, coach of the year, most improved player, sixth man and sportsmanship awards.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-52854973832576334082014-01-12T11:31:00.002+00:002014-01-12T11:36:35.154+00:00Photos: Ketasco Are Finally Champs!<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Keta Senior High have won the National High School Championship(Sprite Ball) after being to the finals four times over the past seven years. Ketasco beat Presec-Legon 25-18 to win the title. The two-day event saw the best 16 teams from across Ghana converge in Accra to compete to be national champions. Ketasco's only loss of the tournament was against Adisco in the group stages on day one. In the girls' event, first-timers Real AMASS from Kumasi got gold after beating Aggrey Memorial who have been dominant over the past three years.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152123926483917.1073741829.339672268916&type=1" style="background-color: transparent;">Post</a><span style="background-color: transparent;"> by </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/reboundgh" style="background-color: transparent;">Rebound_gh</a><span style="background-color: transparent;">.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-59893199064019168242013-12-23T08:06:00.002+00:002014-01-06T14:08:19.068+00:00Photos: 2013 Homecourt Hoops Holiday HoopfestNima U16 Boys participated in the 2nd annual Holiday HoopFest, winning 2/3 games. S/O to all invited teams and Thanks to the organizers (HCH) for such a wonderful festive tournament.
#Letthekidsplays <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-34506789947678803492013-11-12T09:04:00.000+00:002013-11-12T09:22:15.175+00:00Amida Brimah Starts Season With UConn <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUvsHeFPxb0Q0tCGfN0OtTIHZGDPy3vDcs3MecIE_XfuWkdrFOtLCUnWTxyzimBF0BWgdd7qZzwm4xhQsFLN-0Q9QsS72bZAa3ZgAYETbYRMZWXAxK3O69Ze5Ri2ZE220dyGXIsg08s4Q/s1600/9442511.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUvsHeFPxb0Q0tCGfN0OtTIHZGDPy3vDcs3MecIE_XfuWkdrFOtLCUnWTxyzimBF0BWgdd7qZzwm4xhQsFLN-0Q9QsS72bZAa3ZgAYETbYRMZWXAxK3O69Ze5Ri2ZE220dyGXIsg08s4Q/s400/9442511.jpeg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Brimah(under net) goes for a block in the Yale game.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">College basketball season is back! This time around basketball fans in Ghana have a Ghanaian player to keep an eye on; University of Connecticut's Amida Brimah. After verbally </span><a href="http://reboundgh.blogspot.com/2013/01/611-ghanaian-amida-brimah-commits-to.html?showComment=1365322800591" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">committing to UConn in January</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://www.soxanddawgs.com/huskies/articles/amida-brimah-officially-joins-huskies.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">joining officially in April</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, the now 7 foot freshman centre has played his first two games for the unbeaten coach Kevin Ollie side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“What impressed me was his passion. I always said to him a lot ‘you are passionate about your passion.’ He’s just a great kid. He’s still learning the game, but he had some blocks where he didn't even see his person and turned around, got an amazing block. And then you see his energy. Energy is contagious and when I put him in, he just changed the tempo of the game.” said Coach Ollie when asked about Brimah's performance after their first win of the season against Maryland in Brooklyn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Brimah, who currently comes off the bench behind sophomore Philip Nolan had 5 points(2/2FG and 1/3FT), 3 rebounds and 3 blocks in 15 minutes of play in the game against Maryland. In the game against Yale last night, he had 7 points(3/4FG and 1/2FT), 1 rebound and 7 blocks(of the team's total 13) in 24 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When asked after the first game if he thinks he can play at this level, Brimah answered saying; "I knew I could play but strength-wise I thought I wasn't ready, but to get better and stronger, in the summer I kept training and played in Pro-ams and when I got more comfortable I felt I could play with the people on this level.."</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-13707962719841388142013-10-28T10:34:00.001+00:002013-10-28T10:34:51.043+00:00Photos: Grassroots Dev't Basketbll League Finals Day<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After about four months of exciting competition, the first edition of the <a href="http://gdbasketballleague.wordpress.com/">Grassroots Development Basketball League</a> ended in Accra last Saturday. The GDBL is currently the biggest league for U13s and U16s in the country. The finals day had all teams present and there was a lot beautiful basketball played by the kids at the Central Courts. Here are a few of the photos from the day.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-76433497517468198442013-10-23T05:56:00.000+00:002013-10-24T10:12:03.955+00:00Kano Pillars, LPRC Oilers Qualify For Club Championship<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">LPRC Oilers of Liberia and
Kano Pillars of Nigeria have qualified to represent FIBA Africa Zone 3 at this year's African Club Championship. The Oilers joined the unbeaten Kano Pillars with a 63-56 points win over Braves from Ghana on the last day of the competition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With the big win, the Liberian league champion finished the <a href="http://www.fibaafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4195%3Aeliminatoires-zone-iii&catid=163%3Aeliminatoires&Itemid=75&lang=en">Zone 3 elimination round</a>
with a 4-1 record to place second behind Kano Pillars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nigeria's second
representative Union Bank basketball club finished third with a 3-2
record, Braves placed fourth with a 2-3 record while Liberia's other representative NPA Pythons waited until the last
day of the qualifier to record it only win against Young Sportman Club
of Sierra Leone (54-49) to finish fifth thus leaving the Sierra Leonean
at the bottom of the six-team elimination series.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">FINAL STANDINGS</span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1. Kano Pillars (Qualified)</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2. LPRC Oilers <b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(Qualified)</span></b></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">3. Union Bank</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">4. CEPS Braves</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">5. NPA Pythons</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">6. Young Sportman Club</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-40126372441287164682013-10-14T10:56:00.000+00:002013-10-14T10:56:12.011+00:00Braves Rep Ghana at FIBA Africa Club Championship Qualifiers<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Braves have remained the best basketball team in Ghana for over a decade with their dominance of the Accra league. They're currently in Liberia participating in the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Club Championship Qualifiers. A competition held by FIBA Africa for the best basketball clubs in their respective countries annually.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbdDJGI9XvM4xnrDlM_CVHnam4aeDTZ_TZB6AzcbdiKWuU2YmHMf2zWoL5OLj76UkS0Qu0Lofv4a4H7yRBKHe8ijQhqjVjTzgNkBsMW2g3fGHT9qoR9Wbx-qi5Fs3OMkbZOJhFFarzeE_/s1600/IMG_4455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbdDJGI9XvM4xnrDlM_CVHnam4aeDTZ_TZB6AzcbdiKWuU2YmHMf2zWoL5OLj76UkS0Qu0Lofv4a4H7yRBKHe8ijQhqjVjTzgNkBsMW2g3fGHT9qoR9Wbx-qi5Fs3OMkbZOJhFFarzeE_/s400/IMG_4455.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Braves practice in Accra prior to the tournament</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Six teams from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria showed up for this year's qualifiers of which the top two will represent the zone in the FIBA Africa Club Championships later in the year.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The competition is being ran in a round-robin format. Braves are currently second on the table (after winning 2 of their 3 games) behind Kano Pillars who remain unbeaten. They won their first game against the Pythons(Liberia) 68-34, lost the second one against Kano Pillars(Nigeria) 59-84 and won the third against YSM(Sierra Leone) 66-44.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The tournament continues today for Braves who have two more games to play against Union Bank(Nigeria) today at 4 pm local time and the last game against LPRC Oilers(Liberia) tomorrow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Reports that the team's best player Dodzie Baniba was injured were confirmed by the team's manager Benjamin Baafi. "Yes, that was in the second game, but he's fine and is managing to play now" He answered on phone from Monrovia. "The guys are really making Ghana Basketball proud. They're playing very well and their composure is on point" He added.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-47953479708682910892013-10-02T07:25:00.000+00:002013-10-02T07:36:20.676+00:00Ben Bentil Commits to Providence<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ben Bentil landed in the USA three years ago and went straight to </span><span style="background-color: #edf0f2; color: #232121; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Haverford school in Haverford, PA.</span><span style="background-color: #edf0f2; color: #232121; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> The </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">6'8'', 225 pounds Ghanaian born forward now of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Middletown (DE) St. Andrew’s (calss of '14) has decided to go to Providence College; he tweeted on Monday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XfktT0N2EvAvO0JWjXYOZmYzd8Je_46Li872-T6E6EbMX0Z8qF269AizpmdSgy53UmdUz7YMYhKh1LeniRhVZoBnuEwUMrWi9wllOzET3qVcwdNef1QuCKy65XJNFiDZsJGs4OFOIAAk/s1600/bentil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XfktT0N2EvAvO0JWjXYOZmYzd8Je_46Li872-T6E6EbMX0Z8qF269AizpmdSgy53UmdUz7YMYhKh1LeniRhVZoBnuEwUMrWi9wllOzET3qVcwdNef1QuCKy65XJNFiDZsJGs4OFOIAAk/s400/bentil.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Adam Zagoria of SNY wrote on his blog after Bentil's decison:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">''This is a nice pickup for head coach<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Ed Cooley</strong> after he and his staff missed out on Expessions Elite forward <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Abdul Malik Abu</strong>, who picked N.C. State over Providence, UConn and Florida.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bentil is a powerful four man who can transition into a three.<img alt="" src="http://snyhoops.wordpress.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif?m=1207340914g" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-height: none; max-width: 100%; width: auto;" title="More..." /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He joins 7-1 center <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Paschal Chukwu</strong> and 6-7 wing<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Jalen Lindsey</strong> in Providence’s increasingly strong 2014 class.<span id="more-103408" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Ben Bentil is the perfect complement to Paschal Chukwu,” longtime New York recruiting expert<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Tom Konchalski</strong> told SNY.tv. “He’ll be his enforcer. He defines the term power forward. He has a great body, very athletic. he’s got to flesh out his skillset. Right now he’s not a very skilled offensive player but he can rebound, he can defend, and he’s getting a 7-1 center. He’s the perfect complement to Chukwu. They’ll be a great inside tandem because he gives them what the other guy doesn’t have.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“He works extremely hard, he’s one of the hardest working players out there,” Bentil’s AAU coach,<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Terrell Myers,</strong> previously told SNY.tv.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“He can shoot the ball extremely well. He’s become a better passer. It’s him defending the perimeter. Being more of a defensive player on the perimeter at 6-8. That’s one of the thing she’s going to have to do at the next level. He’s a four-three, but as he develops I think he’s going to be a three because he’s a tough kid that doesn’t mind defending.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“He came over here as a raw five and you can see the work he’s put in in three years. With him working, I think he’s going to be a three for somebody’s team and really helping out.”''</span></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-44896821569915012402013-09-11T03:29:00.001+00:002013-09-11T03:33:25.979+00:00BTM Charity Basketball Game For DUNK!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Bless The Mic over the past years has been one of the most looked forward to music festivals in Ghana. As part of it's 5th anniversary celebration, it's organizers and <a href="http://www.dunkgrassroots.org/"><span style="color: orange;">DUNK!</span></a> have put together a basketball tournament to serve as a fundraiser for the non-profit based in four communities in Accra.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The tournament is scheduled for 21st September at the CYCC Court, Kawukudi from 8am-6pm. For more information about how to get involved visit <a href="http://www.dunkgrassroots.org/"><span style="color: orange;">http://www.dunkgrassroots.org/</span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"><span id="goog_1662178809"></span><span id="goog_1662178810"></span></a> or call +233 544 701 497.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxGXSAh2NIDXg6JfvynHk2kS3akxnbQynS_8uSrYWzGtZACscky3RR7SL-gpVqrkcsk-PrL6MmuY9OCPZwsSrhNOjKzx_hWGZoLyTQchyphenhyphenVGJITHiNHRVt_QQfuV112mQ8duIuMfT1wA3f/s1600/1239592_548578178547299_223591970_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxGXSAh2NIDXg6JfvynHk2kS3akxnbQynS_8uSrYWzGtZACscky3RR7SL-gpVqrkcsk-PrL6MmuY9OCPZwsSrhNOjKzx_hWGZoLyTQchyphenhyphenVGJITHiNHRVt_QQfuV112mQ8duIuMfT1wA3f/s400/1239592_548578178547299_223591970_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-21343830606489965422013-08-26T08:50:00.000+00:002013-08-26T08:50:22.962+00:00Video: 2013 AfroBasket Day 5 Top 5 Plays <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BdGVSV7tISI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-84266999753332267742013-08-26T08:20:00.001+00:002013-08-26T08:20:28.591+00:00Video: 2013 AfroBasket Day 4 Top 5 Plays <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1x-IFosVACk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-28195839896501908342013-08-26T08:16:00.000+00:002013-08-26T08:16:27.557+00:00Video: 2013 AfroBasket Day 3 Top 5 Plays <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Big blocks and Angola's Carlos Morais windmill dunk highlighted day 3.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LgTzqegEyGY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-79370542628599363262013-08-22T11:06:00.000+00:002013-08-22T11:06:14.092+00:00Video: 2013 AfroBasket Day 2 Top 5 Plays <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Al Farouq Aminu baptizes the Sengeal defense!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-45329483188566430532013-08-22T10:52:00.000+00:002013-08-22T10:58:53.181+00:00Video: 2013 AfroBasket Day 1 Top 5 Plays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Defense, dimes, dunks and Senegal's shot with 0.2secs on the clock highlight opening day at this year's AfroBasket.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-46890326652091713752013-07-31T14:09:00.001+00:002013-07-31T14:32:56.624+00:00All Girls Basketball Clinic in Accra<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.mercerbears.com/landing/index"><span style="color: orange;">Mercer University women's basketball</span></a> team currently volunteering at the <a href="http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-6039-0-0-0"><span style="color: orange;">Dynasty Summer Basketball Camp</span></a> in Accra will hold a one day all girls clinic as part of their trip to Ghana. Click the poster below for details.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTodF_4V_8bUd41VYpzT-1o81FVOcRcRDYl4Y1_0qu-Znt9kDDTGa51ov8YLepSC_1IvnE12iEn607J6Ab1mZUAiS-rPoil4dVC6HAz8w15SQUZChd8lHZfv6IxzmmYd3kOlruV8Zb7Tah/s1600/971156_10151800120099415_934015294_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTodF_4V_8bUd41VYpzT-1o81FVOcRcRDYl4Y1_0qu-Znt9kDDTGa51ov8YLepSC_1IvnE12iEn607J6Ab1mZUAiS-rPoil4dVC6HAz8w15SQUZChd8lHZfv6IxzmmYd3kOlruV8Zb7Tah/s400/971156_10151800120099415_934015294_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-42637134600421894312013-07-27T09:20:00.000+00:002013-07-27T09:23:21.754+00:00NBA Africa Visits Ghana<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Word has been going around the Ghana basketball community about an NBA Africa event for a few months now. Finally, it is here. The Ghana Basketball Association (GBBA) has confirmed that
they will host a delegation of basketball players and executives from
the NBA <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_884101155" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">on Monday</span></span>, July 2<span style="color: #1f497d;">9</span> on
a five-day visit to support the growth of basketball in Ghana. They
will have discussions with the GBBA, participate in player clinics and
familiarize themselves with the current status of the sport in the
country.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L0McItLs9K6PEKwCSyaqaeGHip06ix8ghViejsbkInlzIy4yfOL6PyrSVnQneLumV66Esp8tc224mtOkpjyHYJwLThzSV7MWVPkBhLgiidfHT1U1cR1-xATrm81tjiwzSiwPdoS7zLrW/s1600/1865397_1_O.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L0McItLs9K6PEKwCSyaqaeGHip06ix8ghViejsbkInlzIy4yfOL6PyrSVnQneLumV66Esp8tc224mtOkpjyHYJwLThzSV7MWVPkBhLgiidfHT1U1cR1-xATrm81tjiwzSiwPdoS7zLrW/s200/1865397_1_O.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Leading the delegation is NBA Vice President for Development
– Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall. “We are committed to the development of
the game of basketball across the African continent and would like to
thank the Ghana Basketball Association for hosting us. There is
tremendous potential for basketball development in Africa and we believe
this holds true for great sporting nation like Ghana. Luol and Pops are
great role models for our youth and hopefully this visit will inspire
the basketball community and young boys and girls to not only pursue
excellence on a basketball court, but also, and perhaps most importantly
in the classroom and in society” said Fall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Joining him is the captain of the Great Britain Basketball
team, two-time NBA All-Star and Chicago Bulls small forward Luol Deng,
Great Britain power forward and former NBA player Pops Mensah-Bonsu and
NBA Senior Director, NBA Africa <span style="color: #1f497d;">–</span> John Manyo-Plange.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Working with the Ghana Basketball Association, Luol, born in
South Sudan and Pops, who is of Ghanaian descent, will engage with
youth at school basketball clinics in selected cities to see some of the
up-and-coming young talent. The young players will look to follow the
footsteps of Ernest Aflakpui who stood out at the NBA West Africa
Development Camp in Burkina Faso last year which consequently landed him
a spot at the Basketball without Borders Africa camp in South Africa
the same year, courtesy of the NBA and the Ghana Basketball Association.
Ernest now has a scholarship to prep school in the US to get education
and continue developing his basketball skills – and plans to attend
university on a basketball and academic scholarship. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Ghana Basketball Association hopes that the clinics will
provide the NBA with an opportunity to evaluate the level of talent at
the camps and consider some of the top prospects for participation at
the 2013 Basketball without Borders Africa camp to be hosted in
Johannesburg between 29<sup>th</sup> August and 1<sup>st</sup> September this year. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The team will be spending time in Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast organizing clinics. The Accra event is scheduled to take place at the Labone Secondary School basketball court at 1pm. They will then move to Kumasi on Tuesday and pay the Asantehene, Otumfour Osei Tutu II a courtesy visit and then hold another 1pm event there and then Cape Coast on Wedenesday at the HCI basketball court at Victoria park.</span> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357487704905425258.post-67885656376664538812013-07-15T08:48:00.001+00:002013-07-15T08:48:41.854+00:00CIV Sports Minister to National Team: ''Cup or Nothing!''<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As preparations for the 2013 AfroBasket intensifies and the date draws closer, the demand on the various competing team to come up tops is also increasing by the day. This year's competition to be hosted at the Palais des Sportes in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire promises to be a very exciting one. African basketball powerhouses such as Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, Senegal, Tunisia and Nigeria will all be present with some of them inviting foreign based players to enhance and increase their teams chances, the biggest star possibly being Cameroonian NBA </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">player<span style="font-style: italic;">,</span> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luc_Mbah_a_Moute">LucRichard Mbah a Moute</a></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> now with the Sacramento Kings<b style="font-style: italic;">.</b></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEF7VyDIPE_AZgK_2LZ1H5wH92CHeqhnMnp2CzwrR8TntSQrmLcPZoBBOQFoXwcRv9zqjbwiun5wGJ1qKyh3RC-gERIBieIzX3uKWBGJaO5skCSttmfBiKYls74IbuzjXkYA216ZTn00Y/s1600/944703_10201259041668528_1201172992_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEF7VyDIPE_AZgK_2LZ1H5wH92CHeqhnMnp2CzwrR8TntSQrmLcPZoBBOQFoXwcRv9zqjbwiun5wGJ1qKyh3RC-gERIBieIzX3uKWBGJaO5skCSttmfBiKYls74IbuzjXkYA216ZTn00Y/s200/944703_10201259041668528_1201172992_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Minister <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 18.59375px; text-align: start; text-indent: 2px; white-space: nowrap;">Alain Lobognon</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Amidst all
this, the Ivorian minister for Promotion of Youth, Sports and Recreation, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 18.59375px; text-indent: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alain Lobognon</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> has issued a ultimatum to their national team; The Elephants that read:</span></div>
<span style="line-height: 37px;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">''AFROBASKET 2013 - ELEPHANTS BASKETBALL, THE CUP OR NOTHING! </span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This message is to the Elephants
basketball players currently preparing in Spain. According to information
reaching me, the guys are not ready yet (I'm waiting for better news). I
do not expect anything other than the win during the Afrobasket2013 that will
be played on our land from 20th to 31st August 2013. My message remains...
The Cup or the confiscation of passports. So know that you have been warned.
Just be sure to win... Good evening!</i><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(NB: Do not say
that you will try to win.)''</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05761810682916107192noreply@blogger.com2