Basketball�s lovebirds form deadly combination
Thato Kala | Friday January 24, 2014 15:13
The Poplets and national team captain is undoubtedly one of the best players in the local basketball league. Blessed with all the skills a basketball should possess, she plays her game wholeheartedly.
Perhaps the former national Under-17captain’s offence to those with a touch of the green-eyed monster is that she bagged the heart of the Poplets coach, James Kalebwe. But the two still go about their duties diligently and have celebrated two league titles together. Police won the national title in 2010, exactly a year after she started playing league basketball, and another one two years ago.
And for all her success, Banyaditse credits the love of her life. “I have a lot of people who have helped develop me into the player I am, but my current coach James has done a lot,” says the softspoken ace. Clearly, she is able to differentiate between James her coach and James her fiancée. The two have been seeing each other for almost four years now and, interestingly; claim to have mastered the art of working smoothly together.
“It is something we talked about – when it is basketball we stick to that, so we have been doing well with that. We have been able to balance the two,” she says. However, Kalebwe admits that the initial stages of the relationship were a bit challenging.
“It put me under a lot of pressure when we started but after seeking a lot of advice from national team coaches and people who have been in similar relationships, I found a way of dealing with it,” Kalebwe tells Mmegi Sport.
The only extra thing Banyaditse gets from Kalebwe is direct advice, especially after a bad game. And she is never spared when she does not get things right on the courts.
Banyaditse started off as a netball player before making a switch to basketball.
“My sister used to play basketball. That is one of the things that made me fall in love with the sport,” she says.
She is a founding member of Police V after joining them when they were formed in 2009. Exactly a year later, she won her first double – the national title and her coach’s heart. “It was a great feeling,” she says of the title triumph.
They won it again in 2012, something she attributes to maintaining the same squad over a long period.
But their biggest disappointment was failing to go for the Africa Club Championships in Zambia because of lack of funds. They had hoped to retain the title and try to source funds to participate at next year’s edition but they narrowly lost to army side BDF V in the final last December.
Just 10 seconds before the end of that tie, Banyaditse won her side a technical foul when she provoked an opponent. She levelled terms to force overtime only to see her side lose narrowly. The hardworking shooting forward displayed a lot of passion during that game.
Her coach’s advice to her is that she should stop being too soft on the courts.
“She is not a very vocal person; she plays the game too cleanly. She needs to play a little dirty because some players take advantage of her,” says Kalebwe. Banyaditse is a big fan of American professional basketball player, Maya April Moore. The Minnesota Lynx star was the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. ‘McGazy’, as her teammates call her, picks on making air balls as her most embarrassing moments in the game.
“It does not happen often but when it does, I feel awkward.” Her favourite holiday destination is Spain (Barcelona and Valencia) and she is learning Spanish.
The second sport she can almost equate to basketball is football. She is a big supporter of Arsenal and is revelling in her team’s recent fine run. And one thing is certain; she and Kalebwe make a perfect basketball match.
FACT FILE
Name: Endie Banyaditse
Nickname: McGazy
Date of birth: September 5 1990
Place of birth: Lobatse
Club: Police V
Position: Shooting forward (SF)
Jersey number: 8
Shoe size: 7
Favourite Food: Pasta and Chicken
Favourite Drink: Fanta Orange
Favourite Fruit: Naartjie and Plum
Favourite Car: Mercedes Benz E-Clas