Chad Smitsdorff and Bonga Kalipa’s natural talent for basketball is paying off.
These CPUT students have secured a coveted spot on the South African Student Team and recently competed in the Confederation of Universities and Colleges Sports Association (CUCSA) Games in Zambia.
Their excellent performance during the USSA 2014 Basketball National Championships in July earned them the title of Allstars, a recognition bestowed on the top five players of the tournament.
A first-year IT student, Chad has been playing basketball since the age of nine and at the start of this year moved from the Mitchell’s Plain-based Gladiator Club to CPUT Cats.
“I’ve grown so much in this team,” he says.
“I’m getting exposure, learning new techniques and improving my game.”
But Chad, who plays the position of point guard, attributes his success to his team, who earlier this year won the Western Cape basketball league.
“The team spirit is great, so you are motivated to win all the time,” says Chad.
And Bonga, a second-year Mechanical Engineering student agrees.
“The CPUT Cats team is like a family. We work well together,” he says.
Bonga joined the team in 2013 and has moved up the ranks to the position of shooting guard.
“I am very excited about this opportunity,” he says.
Assistant coach, Matome Mokoena, says he is proud of the players’ achievement.
“This is exciting because two players out of a squad of 12 are from CPUT. Other universities don’t even have a player in the national team. This puts CPUT on the map,” says Mokoena.
Written by Candes Keating
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