And Police will follow in their footsteps this time around. The current log leaders, Police, have already confirmed their participation in the qualifying competition for November's Club Champions finals.Coach James Kalebwe said they had learnt a thing or two from last year's participants.Kalebwe's charges have gone on nine-game unbeaten run in the ongoing basketball season. "We will take part in the regional tournament in Mozambique in September.We have obviously learnt a few things from the teams that participated last year and started preparations," Kalebwe told Mmegi Sport.He said the team's fine run in the local league was a morale-booster and their next step is to engage in more friendly and international tournaments. "We have intensified training and a few tournaments lined up. The most immediate will be held in Johannesburg in two weeks' time," he said.He said competing against South African teams would help reinforce their preparations. In Mozambique, they will face clubs from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola and hosts Mozambique.
The Championship is exclusively teams that win league competitions in their respective countries. Angola's representatives Club Luanda and Club Desportivo Premeiro de Agosto are professional sides. They dominated last year's tournament in Maputo. Meanwhile, Police's ladies' team players are doing some community service, training school teams around the city.The initial beneficiaries of the initiative are St Joseph's, Naledi Senior Secondary and GSS. "They are mostly working with girls' teams in these schools," said Kalebwe.Police V boast of being the dominant side in the national team after supplying seven players to the national cause for the Afro Basket last year. The club's key players during the 2012 league campaign - Sesupo Balosi, Tatenda Manuel, Kesaolope Motswagole and Kemmonye Madikwe - made that squad.
