St John's College is proud to present the St John's College Basketball Tournament – a four day festival of fun from 27 February to 1 March.
Now in its 14th year, the St John's College Basketball Tournament started with a vision to offer school boys the opportunity to play more games during the season. We aim to give schools who don't typically get a chance to play against each other the chance to do so, and for our local teams to play touring sides.
The Tournament is a highlight on the boys' school basketball calendar with a U15 age-group category introduced this year to complement the ever-popular U19 and U13 divisions.
We look forward to hosting 56 teams from across South Africa and the Continent as we welcome back sides from our provinces, Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. New entry Lusaka International School joins us for the first time from Zambia.
"This event incorporates a variety of teams from across the country, with support from our neighbouring countries. If you are a fan of basketball this is the event to watch this season," says Mrs Ngoza Phiri-Mazarura, Head Coach of Basketball at St John's College.
There are plenty of exciting matches to look forward to throughout the four days of the Tournament.
The U19 Group A pool will see St Stithians College facing Maru-A-Pula from Botswana. St Stithians has earned itself a significant following in Gauteng with Maru-a-Pula touted as the dark horse side.
Group B will have many tough and thrilling encounters. Waterford College from Swaziland will meet local team Michael Mount Waldorf School , which promises to be a highly contested fixture. Maritzburg College from Kwazulu Natal will face Jeppe High School for Boys and this match up should deliver a quality game.
Group C will showcase Zimbabwean side Falcon College against St Charles from Kwazulu Natal. Dominican Convent from Gauteng is also a team that may cause an upset in this group.
Group D includes the hosts St John's College who will continue the rivalry against St Alban’s College, Pretoria and Michaelhouse, a dominant Kwazulu Natal side, will undoubtedly reach the later rounds of the competition.
Developing up-and-coming sides are an important feature of the St John's College Basketball Tournament. This year, we welcome the Soweto Academy U15s. These young men, coached by Mr Monwabi Dlamini, play exceptional basketball and are top contenders in their age group. We also welcome the Mangaung Knights U13s. These youngsters join us from Bloemfontein and are sure to exhibit some exceptional skills on the courts in Gauteng.
"We wish everyone an enjoyable weekend of basketball. May we support our boys and remember that while there will only be three winning teams at the end, we encourage everyone to play and support in the spirit of the game, demonstrating good sportsmanship and character," says Mrs Ngoza Phiri-Mazarura. "It is not who wins that matters, but how we represent our sport at high school level."
Games are played over four days at St John's College and the indoor courts at Wits Hall 29 and the Old Mutual Sports Hall. The final matches will take place at the Old Mutual Sports Hall at Wits.
Tickets are R20 per day and can be purchased at the gate. Tickets will grant you access to all games at St John's College and Wits. For all teams, pools and schedules, please visit www.stjohnscollege.co.za/basketball
See you at the courts for tip off!