However, the competition was just the impetus the country was looking for as there was already an abundance of talent in the sport. Ntebogang Motlakaloso is one such talent that has been wreaking havoc for the opposition. She started playing netball in the dusty streets of Maun at a tender age. “I started playing netball when I was in primary school doing Standard 4 at Boyei.
Actually, I started having more interest in the sport when we qualified for the regional games, which were in Gaborone in 2004. We finished in position three. Mosalaosi was the first coach to help me learn the ropes of this sport. That was the moment I started to believe that I can go far in netball,” she said. Upon arrival at Moeti Junior Secondary School in 2006, Motlakaloso fell into the hands of Jika James. The school team qualified for the nationals that were played at Moeding College and they emerged as champions. “I was selected as the best shooter of the tournament. In 2007, I made my Under-17 national team debut. As a young girl from Maun, I was excited when we travelled to Lesotho to compete in the Confederation of School Sport Association of Southern Africa (COSSASA). We walked away with a bronze medal.
