Basketball is Off the Road Declares Queen

1978 Sports Writers Association of Ghana Female Basketball Player of the Year Salifatu Musa has ripped authorities for the stunted growth of basketball in Ghana as a result of many years of neglect.

The award winner made the statement in an exclusive with Basketballghana.com at the recently held Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges (UPAC) Basketball Championship Zone B games. The Championship, which is headlined by Rexona, is the third edition of Ghana’s biggest tertiary basketball tournament.

Nicknamed “Basket Queen”, on the back of many years leading the female national basketball team in several contests, the former international was in the stands to witness institutions from the Upper West and Northern Regions compete for a spot in the latter stages of the competition before getting some shots up in a free throw contest during recess.

She said, “Basketball in Ghana now is off the road and I don’t blame the players, I blame the central government because this time round, all the attention is on only football. Sometimes when there are even competitions, they tell you there are no funds but when it is football even if they are going to beg or steal money to organize it they will do it.”

The former Guard, who trained Tournament Most Valuable Player Abdou Fatau, also highlighted the almost defunct state of female basketball in the country where the ladies game struggles to feature in the few competitions organized.

On the day, University of Development Studies (UDS-Tamale) sailed through a tough.group involving Wa Polytechnic and Tamale Polytechnic to book a spot in the quarter final of the UPAC Championship set to take place on April 14 at the University of Ghana.

 

Basketball is Off the Road Declares Queen

UENR Qualify To The Finals Of The UPAC Championship

The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) have emerged winners of Zone C to book a place in the finals of University,Polytechnic and Championship(UPAC) Basketball Championship.

Zone C comprised Sunyani Polytechnic, Catholic University College, Sunyani Training College and UENR

UENR booked a ticket to the quarterfinals of this year’s Championship after thrashing the Catholic University Collage 49-24 in the final match in the Zone played on Friday.

The most outstanding player of the tournament the Fiifi Brew exhibited his individual brilliance which made him win the tournament’s most valuable player with averaged 6.4 points, four rebounds and two assists to ensure his side qualified for the finals for the first time.

UNAR who looks promising had earlier defeated their counterparts from the Sunyani Polytechnic and the Sunyani Training College.

Their excellent performance could send a strong warning to the big gangs such as the Accra Polytechnic, Kwame Nkrumah Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Ghana who looked favorites to book a place at the finals which will be played between April 14-16 at the University of Ghana Basketball court.

 

The UPAC Championship train will next travel to Zone D in Kumasi.

UENR Qualify To The Finals Of The UPAC Championship

UDS Advances To The Finals Of UPAC Championships

The University of Development Studies (UDS) has qualified to the quarter finals of the UPAC Championship after emerging victors in Zone B of the qualifiers.

The Zone B, which comprised schools like UDS, Tamale Polytechnic, NJA College of Education and Wa Polytechnic who were all hoping to gain the ticket for the finals but unfortunately NJA College of Education withdrew from the contest leaving only three contestants.

The Final round saw UDS beating their counterparts from the Tamale Polytechnic 24-20 to secure the only available slot in the Zone.The Wa Polytechnic lost the first round match against UDS with a resounding loss 21-31

UDS failed to make it to the last edition of the competition after pulling out in the preliminary rounds.After enthralling and keenly contested games among the three school, UDS came out as winners of the Northern zone and also become the first team to qualify for the finals which will be held between April 14-16 at the University of Ghana Basketball court.

UDS Advances To The Finals Of UPAC Championships

"Let"s Encourage More Women Participation In Basketball" - Hon. Nii Lante Vanderpuje

Basketball in Ghana is tremendously getting huge popularity among the youth of this country and it growth is vast spreading across the length and breath  of the country.

 

The Minister of Youth and Sports,Hon Nii Lante Vanderpuje said “in this days of affirmative action, lets see whether we

we can encourage the ladies in various institution to participate in basketball more often”, he entreated the CEO of Rite Sports and to this assertion at the launch of the University,polytechnic, and colleges (UPAC) games.

 

The Honorable Minister also emphasize his believe of women having a significant role to play in the development of sports and especially  basketball and that the Ghana Basketball Association should lay down measures to execute the agenda of women participation in the sport.

 

The basketball championship program line kicks starts today with warm up matches at the Accra polytechnic campus.

 

"Let"s Encourage More Women Participation In Basketball" - Hon. Nii Lante Vanderpuje

"Ghana Is Not Ready For Olympic Basketball" - GBA Secretary

Ghana has never participated in an Olympic basketball game since it inception as an Olympic sports in 1936, this has prompted various stakeholder to grow the sport in the country.

 

The General Secretary of the Ghana Basketball Association (GBA) Rafik Authur has told sportscrusaders.com about the lack of readiness on the part of Basketball Association to participate in the Afro Basketball tournament, which will subsequently grant qualification to the Olympic games.

 

Mr. Authur  said “we need a standard basketball indoor facility to in order to enable us participate in qualifiers for the  Olympic games,because the talent is there,is left for us to annex the talent into some fruitful for the sport in Ghana”.

 

He urged corporate Ghana to come on board to enable them build a standard basketball indoor facility that would be built at Legon.

 

The General Secretary also indicated the support from Ghana National Petroleum Corporation in the building of the Basketball indoor facility but was worried about the pace of development in the project.

"Ghana Is Not Ready For Olympic Basketball" - GBA Secretary

Basketball Is Second to Football In Ghana - GBA Secretary-General

The rapid growth of Basketball as a sport in Ghana cannot be neglected especially with the participation of majority of  the youth in the sporting activity.

The popularity of the sports can be seen in Senior High School, Polytechnics, Training colleges and universities where event are frequently organized

The General Secretary of Ghana Basketball Association (GBA), Rafik Aurhur told sportscrusader.com about how the sport is over taking other sporting disciplines across carious regions.

He said “Basketball is second to football, because of the tremendous increase in its popularity among the youth of Ghana”.

He also added, despite the competitive aspect of the game it also serve as conduit for building your mental capacity with regards to it being a form of exercise.

The General Secretary was reluctant to mention about how the sport of Basketball could overtake football as the passion of the nation, but noted that they have what it takes to be the second most populous sport in Ghana.

 

Basketball Is Second to Football In Ghana - GBA Secretary-General