Lesotho champions Bokamoso set for Swaziland showpiece

Bokamoso South (left) beat Lichocha Shooting Rifles (right)
in the 2016/17 NBL finals...

Newly-crowned 2016/17 National Basketball League (NBL) champions Bokamoso South are set to represent Lesotho at the annual Swaziland Invitational International Basketball Tournament next month.

The regional basketball showpiece will take place from June 23 to 25 in Mbabane and Bokamoso will be joined by rivals KTA All-Stars as Lesotho’s two contestants in the men’s competition.

Bokamoso’s women’s team, Bokamoso North, which lost to Lichocha Shooting Rifles in the ladies’ NBL finals, has also been invited to the Swaziland tournament.

Bokamoso South’s voyage comes after they won a first national crown to cap a dominant season. Bokamoso won 32 of their 35 games in all competitions and completed a historic treble of trophies.

In addition to the NBL title, Bokamoso also won the Sprite Memorial Independence Tournament last October and the Sprite Summer Slam Charity Tournament in December.

They have been drawn in Group B alongside Imbumbe of Swaziland, Trojans from South Africa, Petromoc of Mozambique, Savio from Tanzania and Zimbabwe’s Harare City Hornets.

The youth based Bokamoso development programme was founded in 2012 and in less than five years it has taken Lesotho basketball by storm, becoming the main feeder for Lesotho’s national teams and the team to beat in the league.

Last year, Bokamoso South reached their first-ever NBL finals before losing to KTA All-Stars. This year they went one better when they beat Lichocha Shooting Rifles 3-1 in the NBL finals.

At the moment, the club has registered four teams – two girls and two boys – in the NBL and is it planning on registering a fifth team based on growth. Bokamoso almost completed a double of wins in both the men’s and women’s championships, but Bokamoso North agonisingly lost 3-2 to Lichocha in the NBL women’s finals.

Bokamoso’s women’s team has been drawn in Group B in Swaziland where they face South Africa’s Phoenix Flames, Mozambique’s Amigas Do Basquete and Zimbabwe’s Lynx BQ.

The Swaziland Invitational International Basketball Tournament is an opportunity for Bokamoso basketball club to measure its progress on the international stage.

Champions! Bokamoso South

Swaziland Invitational Tournament Groups:

Women

Group A

V n J (South Africa)

Lady Lioness (Tanzania)

Botswana Police (Botswana)

Lakers (Zimbabwe) 

Group B

Phoenix Flames (South Africa)

Amigas Do Basquete (Mozambique)

Bokamoso (Lesotho)

Lynx B.Q (Zimbabwe)

Group C

Dolphins (Botswana)

Vixens (Zimbabwe)

Jozi Nuggets (South Africa)

Clube Ferroviario de Maputo (Mozambique)

Group D

Greenstars (Zimbabwe)

Lady Dynamites (Malawi)

Raptors (South Africa)

Superladies (Swaziland)

Men

Group A

Jozi Nuggets (South Africa)

Hard Steels (Swaziland)

Hustlers (Zimbabwe)

FADM (Mozambique)

Munali Suns (Zambia)

KTA All-Stars (Lesotho)

Group B

Imbumbe (Swaziland)

Trojans (South Africa)

Petromoc (Mozambique)

Savio (Tanzania)

Bokamoso (Lesotho)

Harare City Hornets (Zimbabwe)

Group C

MBB (South Africa)

Superstars (Swaziland)

Dolphins (Botswana)

Foxes (Zimbabwe)

Young Stars (Tanzania)

Central Knights (Malawi)

Group D

Jazz (Swaziland)

Phoenix (South Africa)

Newcastle Avengers (South Africa)

Craques Da Boca (Mozambique)

Mikoko (Malawi)

JBC (Zimbabwe)