The 2023 Chronicle

LMSBA Provincial U18A: Elihle Ngcobo LMSBA Provincial U18B: Abongile Xulu, Kyle Farndell SPECIAL AWARDS THE COACH’S AWARD FOR THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Elihle Ngcobo

The fourth quarter saw us compete in the Kearsney Independent Schools Stayers’ Basketball Tournament. Our first and second teams participated in the A and B divisions, respectively. Our seconds delivered some superb results, winning all their group matches. They went on to beat Maritzburg College in the quarter final (38-36) and St Benedict’s College in the semi- final (40-36) before losing to St Stithians in the final of the B division. This is the furthest our second team has gone in this tournament and we are very proud of their accomplishment. The inaugural Michaelhouse U14 Invitational Basketball Tournament, contested for the first time on 6 and 7 October, was a resounding success. The boys thoroughly enjoyed the event, and some very good basketball was played. We entered our U14A and U14B teams into the tournament. Both teams showed great courage and played seven full-length matches over the course of the two-day tournament. The final classifications saw our U14A team lose narrowly to St Stithians (37-34) to achieve fourth overall, and our U14B team lost narrowly to the St Charles A team (20-15) to be placed 12th overall. The spirit of these teams was excellent, and the boys made big strides in their skill levels. The festival was also invaluable preparation for the U15A St John’s tournament in February 2024 and we are excited to see how they progress in this prestigious tournament. Boys and coaches alike have thoroughly enjoyed this busy and productive year on the courts. I would like to say a final word of thanks to all the coaches and players involved. We are very privileged to have experienced coaches on our teaching and intern staff as well as the services of a number of top external coaches. I would like to thank Mr Mondli Mkhize, Mr Steven Sliedrecht, Mr Nash Khumalo and Mr Nkululeko Mthalane for their excellent efforts this year. We were also delighted to welcome Mrs Nolwazi Shezi (wife of Mr Linda Shezi, East Housemaster) to the club and look forward to many happy years with her on our coaching team. We bid a number of our coaches farewell at the end of the year. Mr Sibonelo Khanyile will be sorely missed and can be proud of the exceptional work he has done with the U14A team over a few years. Mr Siphiwe Mazibuko will be leaving his role as intern at Michaelhouse but we are delighted to keep him as an external coach. We also bid farewell to Mr Linda Mabuza, Mr Sifiso Shabangu, Mr Banele Mlangeni and Mr Simeon Goddard. We thank them for their many valued contributions to our sport. The legacy of the basketball season remains a testament to the power of teamwork, discipline and a shared passion for the game. We look forward to what the future holds for basketball at Michaelhouse and to more slam-dunk successes in the years to come.

THE CAPTAIN’S AWARD FOR THE MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Jordyn Kleynhans THE WITHERSPOON TROPHY FOR THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Jordan Baxter K VAN DER HAAR INTERHOUSE TROPHY: Tatham

A

s the year draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the outstanding achievements of our school’s basketball teams. Our Indoor Centre and our opponents’ courts have witnessed remarkable moments of skill, determination and teamwork that have propelled the school to new heights, leaving a lasting impact on both players, parents and coaches alike. The basketball boys began the year with a real sense of excitement, setting the stage for what would be an extraordinary season. The players demonstrated exceptional commitment to honing their skills, attending rigorous training sessions and pushing their limits to improve both individually and as teams. While not quite reaching the heights of last year, we are proud of our results. The records of most of our teams have been excellent. Special mention must be made of our second, U16B and U16D teams, who ended the year with the best results. The U16A did us proud at our own tournament at the end of January. They lost to Maritzburg College in the semi-final (19 32) before bouncing back to beat Northwood in the 3rd/4th play-off (29-18). They also attended the annual St Stithians College tournament in February, where they played six matches, winning four and losing two. They finished the first quarter with a resounding victory over Hilton College (38-19). Similarly, our U15A team attended the annual St John’s College tournament in February. The team played some excellent basketball, winning three of their four group matches, only losing narrowly to St Stitihians (21-22). They fell short in the quarter-final against Michael Mount (17-31). Some valuable lessons were learned by these youngsters that they went on to use in the second tournament that we attended in the Michaelmas holidays. The inaugural Northwood tournament saw us play six pool matches (winning four, losing two), with a loss against the tournament hosts (27-40) coming in the final pool match. We qualified for the quarter-finals but due to rain and tournament arrangements unfortunately had no choice but to forfeit. The experience was yet again a valuable one for this promising group.

BASKETBALL 2023 TEAM P W D

L

GF

GA

GD

%

1ST

33

19

0

14 1644 1257 387

56

2ND

20

17

0

3

904 531 373

85

3RD

12

8

0

4

309 204 105

67

4TH

8

6

0

2

212 141 71

75

5TH

7

3

0

4

147 153 -6

43

125