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SPRINGBOKS SPRINT PAST AL-JAZAIR 95-65, MOVE TO 4-0

Krish Modise came off the bench with 25pts in relief for a nicked up Kefentse Solomons and Lebohang Mbata added 24pts including four three pointers to help pace another impressive outing. No other Springbok scored in double figures but overall this effort was a great example of the improving depth of the club. "Another fine effort" said Coach Lambini afterwards "to not only stay together after Solomons went down but to truly kick it into another gear show just how great the commitment of this team is". With the win the RSA for all intents and purposes clinches a spot in the second round, Al-Jazair slipped to 1-3 and potentially out of the proceedings altogether.

Up next is Al-Mahrib who suffered a 107-92 setback to Senegal. Egypt laid waste to Ghana 119-17. And in the most controversial contest of the event thus far Nigeria knocked off Tunisia 86-85 as Prince Peter Badiako hit a pair of free throws after time had expired for the winning margin.

Last edited by Coach Lambini at 6/10/2019 7:32:38 PM

One more match before the litmus test that Egypt represents. Though a glance at Senegal suggest those guys are a real threat, but so are we, it's just a good thing we got them early. Lots of time left to go overall but we cannot take our collective eye off the ball.

Kefentse Solomons: another fine reset, saw a JR pop which is good to see. I would like to see a OD pop and JS pop but the good doctor may well get him another passing pop which also would work.

Montsho Mthebe: another solid week of progress. Bob got a ID pop which is critical down the line.

Ketso Nthite: Bob's bookend piece saw ID and RB pops. GS holding steady, looking for that to improve shortly as I said when we started I see him coming along right about when we will need him most. I feel confident in that assessment.

Lebohang Mbata: a HA pop this week, good GS but a curiously modest DMI, but the latter can be such a mercurial attribute. It he's still getting better and that's what it is all about.

Kasiya Mbazia: no pops but a real nice DMI reset and still a essential cog due to his OD prowess.

Fabian Pöll: good reset, IS pop but I could use a little more RB with him. But this young man is doing fine!

Mpho Toyana: no pops but a solid reset, he provides depth in the back court, very interested to see how he moves as things progress.

Jabulani Manzini: a similar scenario though he adds depth to the front court

Krish Modise: no pops but once again a very consistent GS/DMI reset. Kid is a gamer!

Kompela and Gqozo are what they are. The balance of the roster are mostly projects but some good potential ones they are!


Al-Mahrib is the opponent this week. Another case of where it looks that we match up well. I expect these guys though to put up more resistance than the last several opponents. Keep doing the voodoo that you do so well gentleman, feel free to reach out.

SPRINGBOKS OVERWHELM AL-MAHRIB 115-81

After a slow start which saw the RSA holding a scant 22-21 edge after one period the floodgates opened and Kefentse Solomons led five players in double figures in a dominating 115-81 victory over a Al-Mahrib squad which came into the contest dead set upon trying to spoil the Springboks fun. In the post game press conference Coach Lambini quipped "Tonight we had an opponent who you could see in their eyes were massively motivated for the occasion. It is a great testament to this team that we not only met the challenge put forth but collectively put such a fine effort together".

One of the most pleasant surprises of the evening was the performance off the bench of Mpho Toyana (14 pts in 22 minutes on 7-9 shooting) "this young man has great potential, it will do his confidence wonders to have a game like this on this stage), in total 10 of the 11 who played scratched the scoring column. With the win the young Springboks surged to 5-0 in the competition in essence clinching for all intents and purposes 2nd for the second phase.

Next up is Egypt who thumped Tunisia 71-39. "They are the defending continental champion so this will be a great measuring stick of how far this team has advanced since the start of the season"

In other action

Senegal swamped Ghana 126-53
And Nigeria survived a short handed effort and slipped past Al-Jazair 108-95

I'm not going to go quite so in depth this week on the individual development. Several key players though did pop, a good but not great break on the GS reset. Some DMI numbers I would like to see higher because they suggest level of consistency. As I've said before though, it's not a full measure of quality.

I am hesitatant to devulge too much on the plan for this one, though I am happy to discuss by BB mail or thru the American discord channel https://discord.gg/cKpNkt2
and that way we can communicate in real time. Your viewpoints would be welcomed!

Also, spread the word a out this game in general. And join in the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. The new social media guru trust the process is doing a wonderful job of engaging the user base and on trying to spread the word about the game, please show him your support!

Last edited by Coach Lambini at 6/23/2019 11:15:39 AM

COLD SHOOTING SINKS SPRINGBOKS 76-64


Egypt showed why they are defending continental champions as the RSA struggled all night long against the stifling Egyptian defense taking their first loss of the competition 76-64. The Springboks did put up a fine defensive effort as well limiting Egypt to 38% from the field including a 2-21 effort from three point range. The RSA however could not however take advantage of the situation as the guard play in particular suffered as Solomons suffered a 3-13 evening (and he made his last two shots) and his backcourt mate Mbazia also had his difficulties going 2-11. This coupled with a 53-42 deficit on the boards and a 12-4 advantage for Egypt in blocked shots was too much to overcome.


"It was a good approximation of where these two teams are right now" said Coach Lambini afterwards. "We knew going in Egypt had a lot of depth and it would be difficult to manufacture offense as they only give up 51 points a game. In that respect perhaps we did not fair that badly. I told the guys going in this is all part of the process and that we will see them at least one more time, hopefully two."


In other action the results suggest the plot is thickening!

The RSA's next opponent Tunisia tossed Al-Mahrib into the elimination zone 101-55 " those guys sudden look dangerous, I expect a intense effort from them next week" quipped coach Lambini.


Al-Jazair ripped Ghana 137-61 to move a long way towards securing a spot in the second phase.


And in perhaps the biggest shocker of the event thus far Nigeria stunned Senegal 92-78 " that's a game changer" coach said eyebrow raised when informed of this result.

Thanks for all these summaries. ;)

We are slowly getting there collectively.

One thing I think that can be done to expedite the process is to get your guys quality minutes in your league games. I have noticed just the act of making these trainees starters does wonders all the way around and though I have not researched too deeply on the matter I have the feeling the reason Egypt is so deep has to do with more of their players getting starters minutes in league games.

I am very interested to see what our GS reset looks like this week, I think several of our guys may take a slight step backwards in that regard just because it is harder to get minutes in because of the open date.

Last week was what it was and I to be honest was none too surprised. Still lots of time to improve, but also lots of time for the other nations to as well.But we can leap off those bridges when the time comes.

Kefentse Solomons: no pops this week, but a reinvigorated DMI, hopefully I will see some more PA and OD kick in soon. question is should I move him to the point, if I had a second shooter I had confidence in that answer would be much easier.

Montsho Mthebe: No pops, but again a guy who's overall DMI is encouraging, very balanced player,.

Ketso Nthite: Crazy Bob's other trainee is of a errily similar ilk and build, got a JS pop this week and his GS and DMI are above standard rates for the first time all year. I think I will let him pick up the start at the 3 this week.

Lebohang Mbata: This guy has been the starter at the three and he has performed very well. This week however I plan to use him as a duel backup at the two and the three, I'm exited to see how he will perform. JS pop, so that is nice to see as we need some extra scoring punch.

Kasiya Mbazia: came into the season as a defensive stopper but his overall profile is rising every week. Got a DR pop last week, of course I would love to see a OD pop, or two between now and the medal round.

Mpho Toyana: Struggled last week, then again all our guards had their issues, Egypt kinda does that to ya! Definately a big part of the puzzle for nextseason but still on target to become a fine contributor for this year as well.

Fabian Pöll: He's been manning the middle though he really is more of a 4 or even a power style three. Good distribution of skills with a little more heavily leaning to the inside skills, had a RB pop this week so this young man is still in my good graces! However it would not be a disservice to give this guy some 1v1F DR training, kick in a few levels of HA and DR and this guy gets real dangerous real quick. And the best thing is, he's only 19!

Jabulani Manzini: Another 19 yr old with a great future. Seems more of a classic PF but has some decent guard skills built in, not great inherent DR and HA but that just means he might make a great true back to the basket big and that he should be focused on strictly inside skills, or at least that's what I think. As to what his owner thinks, well that's another matter entirely.

Krish Modise< this guy is what he is, sure he's a gamer but it appears h's stuck presently in a bit of a croossroads in his development and that others are posied to take his place in the rotation. But his owner needs to remain committed to his development, first you never know when he may start to see multiple attibutes pop, and second is he will will be needed because there are a lot of variables in play.

The rest of the crew is languishing for the most part, a couple of 21 yr old with limited potential to start with and several 18-19 yr old's who are still matriculating. First look at the database did not suggest anyone quite worth calling up just yet, but I will give it a second look and you never know what the future holds down the stretch.

Tunisia is the opponent this week, we might get a CT from them as they are playing in many ways for their lives. But as for us this game actually means nothing, sure Nigeria can tie us in the win column but I don't think they are making up over 200 points in PD even if they put the foot to the floor on Ghana. But theirlittle resurgance has put Senegal in a stick position as they now will be on Egypt's side of the bracket if current projections hold. A lot will be told by who we play and when in the next phase. I personally hope we get the tough teams (Egypt, Senegal, Nigeria) out of the way first,
enthusiasm is not an issue, but fact is there is only so much higher we can take it before the laws of diminishing returns kick in so might as well ride that train against tougher teams early so that if we have to normal 2-3 games in a row we can replenish.

Last edited by Coach Lambini at 6/29/2019 5:51:30 PM

SPRINGBOKS TOPPLE TUNISIA 79-63

Montsho Mthebe led 5 players in double figures with 22 points and 10 boards along with 3 steals and 3 blocks. Fabian Pöll added 15 to go with 14 rebounds to pace the Springboks attack. " I decided to experiment a little bit by having them switch positions I would consider it a modest success though I think Fabian is more of a natural center, buy both had productive nights"

Kefentse Solomons continued to struggle as he was held to 10 points on 3-21 shooting as he is only 6-34 for his last two outings "shooters just have to keep shooting, he will recover his form. Plus he had three blocks and eight boards so the effort is there, better to get it out of his system now" coach Lambini said afterwards.


In his first start since the opener against Senegal Ketso Nthite contributed 10 points and 7 rebounds " Bob still needs to smooth him back out a bit, but he put forth a good effort"

Mpho Toyana scored 10 off the bench "he's been a great find, brings a lot of energy out there"

"Overall I thought our effort was Workman like, Tunisia plays good defense, especially in the back court so it was nice to see our bigs come up big, the further this goes on the more it is going to be a truly ensemble effort to succeed"

In spite of a relatively large working margin during the second half only 8 players saw action " from here on out as the competition gets tougher the rotation will tighten, but that doesn't mean there is not opportunity for everyone on the club"

With the win the Springboks finished the first phase 6-1 as four of those wins will transfer over to the next round. " We are progressing much like I thought, the goal now is to secure our spot in the medal round asap."

Next up is a rematch with Al Jazair. "Those two beast down low are a lot to contend with, but I feel our back court will return to form for this one. Our club managers have done a fine job having our players ready week in week out. I'm sure that will continue and that our club will continue with the great development seen so far"


In other action

Egypt finished the first phase 7-0 eliminating Al-Mahrib in the process with a 128-56 whitewashing


Senegal snuck past Al-Jazair 94-91 on the strength of a 33-22 final stanza.

And Nigeria ended Ghanas nightmare 94-45





Last edited by Coach Lambini at 7/2/2019 7:33:43 AM

Your weekly briefing...

Another week of everyone with players of importance doing a fine job of maintaining and in some cases getting improvement.

Kefentse Solomons: No pops for the second or maybe it's third week in a row. But the DMI and GS are both maintaining their optimum levels. I may just let him run the point this week, see how he translates there with our crew since the good doctor starts him there on his club team.

Montsho Mthebe: another solid week for Bob's boy. DR pop, not quite as robust on the DMI but GS held steady. I might just let him man the middle this week as I am contemplating a little bit of experimentation on several fronts this week.

Ketso Nthite: Bob's other bookend piece had a HA pop and continues to evolve on DMI and final has 9 on GS. right where I want him to be, as to where I put him this week remains to be seen.

Lebohang Mbata: No pops, but steady on other fronts. Last week was given more of a supplemental role, this week may see him return to the starting lineup.

Kasiya Mbazia: No pops for our defensive stopper. But he is in fine shape, I have played him at the point because of the defense and because I am not quite sure on his offensive reliability if he is moved to the two slot. This week may provide a situation where that can be tested.


Fabian Pöll: JS pop, overall DMI took a bit of a hit, but GS still strong. but I might try him more off the bench this week just so I can see how others respond. Dude is still coming along wonderfully however.

Mpho Toyana: No pops but continues to evolve on the DMI/GS fronts. He is actually just a hot run of pops from potentially stealing a start or two down the stretch. But just not yet.

Jabulani Manzini: No pops this week, DMI actually went up a hair and GS is fine, but his current standing suggest there is a load of potential but not quite the level of consistency to crack the starting lineup, in time that will change.

Krish Modise: he had pops in DR and IS, so thats the good. BUT his GS is only a 7, and his DMI is rather suspect, so that is the bad. But this week I still plan to get him some minutes along the way. Just keep plugging.

And the rest of the roster is where it has been for the last few weeks. Hopefully the stalwarts take care of business in a manner which will allow for the balance of those who will dress to make an appearance this week.

Al-Jazair is the opponent for this week. Benali is a beast, Aknas is pretty good as well. The rest of the roster does not impress me. That is why I think I can monkey around with the lineups and tactics a little bit and still get the win. I have not checked the database to see who might be worthy of a flier for a call up. Last check suggested the pipeline is pretty well pumped for the time being, but you never know. If you have a guy who might start to see movement that will help this season, or even more importantly next (no matter where we end up) let me know.

I think overall the sum of our parts is greater than the individual pieces. BUT there is a lot of ground that still needs to be made up to achieve gold. But all things considered we are where I thought we could be, but we can collectively still do more. All that being said, the numbers may be small, but the dedication shown has been huge. After this week the difficulty ratchets up with Senegal on tap, that as it was the first time around will be a measuring stick for our collective progress.

SPRINGBOKS SHUT DOWN AL-JAZAIR 79-42

Lebohang Mbata led all scorers with 24 and the suddenly stingy Springboks defensive unit held Al Jazair to 17.6% shooting as the RSA started the second round robin phase with a resounding 79-42 romp. A +5 turnover differential, +6 inateals and +6 in blocks helped key the defensive domination. "During most of the first phase it was all about the offense, but as the old adage goes it's defense that wins titles. I was very pleased with the effort" coach Lambini said afterwards. "Solomans still is trying to regain the touch he had earlier in the competition, but again he is still showing tremendous engagement as his four steals and a pair of blocks testifies and both of Bob's boys had solid nights, lots of good things to build on. Next week though will be a tougher challenge against Senegal. Yes they have slumped in recent weeks, but they will be looking for some payback so we better be ready for their best effort"



In other action

Tunisia thumped Nigeria 89-68
And Egypt continued their stranglehold with a
91-40 spanking of Senegal