FNB Namibia pledges N$330 000 for basketball qualifiers
Basketball
First National Bank (FNB) Namibia yesterday pledged N$330 000 to the Namibia Basketball Federation (NBF) to support the country’s inaugural hosting of the Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) Qualifiers, which tip off tomorrow.The WBLA Qualifiers are regional tournaments that bring together top clubs from across the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Africa zones and serve as a pathway to the WBLA Finals.
Competing in Zone Six, Namibia has entered its top-performing club, University of Namibia (Unam) Phoenix, which will battle in Group E against Angola and Malawi at Deutsche Höhere Privatschule Windhoek (DHPS) until Monday.
The top teams from each zone will advance to the WBLA Finals, scheduled for 5 to 14 December in Egypt, to determine Africa’s top women’s basketball club.
Unam Phoenix’s selection
Unam Phoenix has named a 12-player roster featuring Ashley Linda, Anna Iimene, Victoria Netumbo, Lustelle Elanga, Jennifer Uchezuba, Diandra Fossi, Rauna Hamunyela, Idah Angolo, Fiona Namwapo, Ester Angula, Celeste Kakuva and Schollastica Joel.
The team will be coached by Allan Nghixulifwa, with Vilencia Binga as team manager.
Speaking at the sponsorship handover in Windhoek yesterday, NBF president Nigel Mubita welcomed FNB’s continued support for basketball development across the country.
“FNB Namibia has been our enabler, supporting our women’s Otjozondjupa 3-on-3 national tournament in 2020. It has also sponsored the Oshana 5-on-5 nationals in 2023 and the Erongo 5-on-5 nationals earlier this year,” Mubita said.
He added that the Khomas Region, which has the largest basketball participation in the country, continues to dominate women's national tournaments. This makes Unam Phoenix, the four-time Khomas Basketball Association (KBA) women’s champions, the natural choice to represent the country at the continental stage.
Financial constraints
Mubita noted that while the qualifiers initially aimed to host more teams, financial constraints prevented broader participation.
“Hopefully, they will join next time. Nonetheless, we are proud of Phoenix for flying the Namibian flag high. Thank you to FNB for making our participation at the international level possible,” he said.
Representing FNB Namibia, analytics manager Lionel Hamutenya reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to sport and youth empowerment.
“We believe in this team and hope they succeed. Our president [Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah] is a lady and we believe that when we give women an opportunity, they always shine,” said Hamutenya.
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