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SPRINGBOKS MOVE TO 2-0, OUTLAST AL maghrib 103-90

Paced by 32 points from Ad Hayden and another double double from Fabian Pöll (20pt 10reb) the SPRINGBOKS bolted to a big halftime edge and survived a sub par second half to upend Al maghrib 103-90.

In the post game presser coach Lambini had this to say...


" we did some things very well. But there were some focus issues in the second half. And give our opponent a lot of credit, they kept fighting. The good thing about these first two games is that we have been able to get a look at a lot of different people. However there is a lot of smoothing out still to be done"

In other action

Tunisia got the free lap on Ghana


Senegal squashed Al Jazair 122-66

And Misr had no issues with Nigeria 119-80


Next up, Nigeria


Last edited by Coach Lambini at 12/10/2019 7:57:24 AM

It's a good start!

The problem is, storm clouds are on the horizon.

Nigeria is going to be a tough match, but they did use a CT on opening night against Tunisia so we will have a enthusiasm advantage. (302421.1)


This week's update...

Fabian Pöll: no pops, too many minutes and a missing manager. The issue with minutes will self correct as his club team is out of the cup. Now we got to hope boksburg is just on holiday and hasn't abandoned his team.

Jabulani Manzini: no pops, but issues with too many minutes was addressed by his club manager. We will need his game to step up as the competition progresses.

Sean Dunker: OD pops, solid reset

Jabulani Makeba: driving pop, good reset

Beau Bleek: no pops but a solid reset

Mxali Matomelaa: no pops, really good reset so he's ready for the rigors.

Ad Hayden: another guy with no pops but still reset in a useful manner.

Khaya Nkosi: not great dmi and gs but did get HA and DR pops so his minutes Monday should be useful.

Ngwazi Khomane: stamina pop! Reset is acceptable but not exemplary.

Ayize Mini: and another guy the same can be said about! Of course a guy who is 7'0" MVP potential but who is listed as a PG is a very interesting training proposition.

And the rest of the roster has some issues with GS that I will need to bring up with their clubs.

All things considered we are OK, but we should be progressing better. Fortunately there is some time to figure it out. I will check to see if there is anyone in the pipeline we can add but with the NTSO site not processing last I checked it makes the task difficult.




Last edited by Coach Lambini at 12/13/2019 7:40:44 AM

SPRINGBOKS STUFF NIGERIA 126-80

Fabian Poll paced six Baby Boks in double figures with 31 points to go with 13 rebounds 5 assists and a pair of blocks as everyone who was dressed scratched the score sheet in a resounding 126-80 rout of Nigeria to move to 3-0 in the first phase of pool competition. Coach Lambini said afterwards, " After last weeks sluggish second half effort I let it be known that more was expected this week. And that message was well headed by virtue of this performance:" The Boks dominated all phases shooting 62% for the evening and holding a 61-33 rebounding edge.

In other Afro Basket action....

Misr got the walkover forfeit win over Ghana


Tournes thumped Al Jazair 92-75

and Senegal survived against Al Maghrib 88-86

Next up is a essential Bye against Ghana (walkover), followed in two weeks time with a test against the big bullies on the block in Misr. "we have got a long way to go to match those guy, it will be very interesting to see how much of gap there will be."

Last edited by Coach Lambini at 12/16/2019 6:13:06 PM

Merry Christmas or whatever your holiday preferences may be !!!

Ghana was of course a walk over. I looked in while it was going on and it was pretty absurd. We committed so many fouls that eventually everyone fouled out. Next up is Misr, we need a good game shape reset and some pops all over the place to give it a run.

Merry Xmas too!

Tomorrow is one of those measuring sticks for the collective progress so far this season. Our Springboks are the only one's on the continent that can curtail Egypt's stranglehold. But just like the last time around it is a marathon not a sprint and this game is more of precursor to what will follow down the line.

Not too shabby a week on the reset.....

Fabian Pöll: even though his manager is in and out his minutes are stable and his GS and DMI has reacted accordingly. a ID pop is very nice to see, really wish his manager would have given him or would just go ahead and give him 1v1F straining. But kid is a beast, we will need him at his best to have a shot.

Jabulani Manzini: another guy who has been put overall on the right track. He could preorgess faster but he is still pretty god.


Sean Dunker: solid reset and a OD pop, not advancing in a spectacular manner, but a consistent one.

Jabulani Makeba: A HA pop and a excellent reset on GS and DMI. Really our best potential outside threat at this point.


Beau Bleek: A OD pop, but a flat reset makes him best used as a supplement as opposed to a main ingrediant. Still advancing well though.


Mxali Matomelaa: no pops and a ok at best reset, but he's as I have said before, our best defender so you gotta ride with the guy.

Ad Hayden: no pops but a very nice reset so his minutes hopefully will have added value

Khaya Nkosi: a IS pop, and a very good reset, another guy whos minutes should be of value.

Ngwazi Khomane: and another guy in a similar situation, no pops bt the reset suggest he should play well when on the court

Ayize Mini: good reset, nice spread of skills, not great but he will find his way on the court for a few minutes this week

Siphiwe Mamoepa: DR and JR pops give him a interesting look, a guy to keep a eye on in the future who might give some solid minutes in the right spot in the present.



The other members on the squad all are guys with serious potential, but who's lack of commitment from their managers is short changing their careers! Thanks to all who do make an effort to make your players better, not just for the u21 , not just yourself, but for the game as a whole because there is no game without a pipeline of talent.

Misr/Egypt is a tall task, though not my most daunting mounain to climb of theweek asi my league I face the team most likely to win the league on the road, and in the USA cup I have a date with Bigshots who is #1 in USA, defending NBBA champ, currently #4 in the world and atop the standings of B3.... but t lest I get them on my home court! for whatever that will be worth!

Last edited by Coach Lambini at 12/29/2019 6:21:43 PM

SPRINGBOKS SPREAD THIN BY MISR 84-72



Fabian Pöll (35 pts, 12 rebounds 4 block) won his scoring battle with the much more ballyhooed Awad Ahmad Bin-Sulaim (27 pts 19 rebounds 3 blocks) but the Springboks lost the war as Misr just had too much depth and coasted to a 84-72 win that was not close as the score would indicate. " That was a prime example of the ways of doing business in these two countries. we use a more free range crowd sourcing model, and it works most nights in continent. But the farming system that the Poland based staff for Misr has put into place allows for the level of detail they can give to their players. On Bin-Sulaim Lambini had this to say..." really a man dare I say a beast among boys, especially in the first half. Having a player of that talent sets the tone for the rest of the team. Fabian is a great scorer, and his defense has improved immensely in his time in the program. But in his opponent is the type of player I preach about trying to build."

Next p is a match against host Tunisia though at this point it is all window dressing as tickets for the second pphase have been secured log ago.



Last edited by Coach Lambini at 12/30/2019 6:12:21 PM

better luck next time

Egypt has that center. that guy is a menace! A lot of our guys could develop into something close to that guy in their respective ways, so don't get discouraged. And if you are perplexed as to why some of these guys are not developing fast as you would like, reach out to me and maybe we can formulate a plan. All things considered however I am very proud with what you guys do week in and week out and applaud your efforts.

Fabian Pöll: we had the GS/DMI thing licked then he gets dressed for a scrimmage and his minutes get thrown off. But he's fine.

Jabulani Manzini: A handling pop, which does add up and pay BIG dividends over time. Really nice reset, is he poised for a breakout during the latter half of the season? Time will tell....

Sean Dunker: solid reset, another driving pop, which is fine, time for his skills to become more focused on other areas. But it's cool.

Jabulani Makeba: solid reset, no pops, but no worries

Mxali Matomelaa: another OD pop, which is great, time for other skills to be accentuated however

Khaya Nkosi: HA and DR pop, which always works, good reset, solid though modest distribution of skills. Is coming along nicely however

Ad Hayden: IS and a FT pop. Good reset, hopefully he can get to elastic in core areas by seasons end.

Ngwazi Khomane: no pops, minimal level of acceptable on reset, fine.

Ayize Mini: A passing pop, he is developing a little slower than he should but his position in relation to height is strange, . who has ever heard of a 7'0" PG!?! Another case of commitment to one area being needed to facilitate growth.

Siphiwe Mamoepa: Modest TSP, but a very robust GS/DMI suggest a owner committed to his development. Needs 1v1 f training, has surprisingly already reached a level of elasticity on JR, a curious case indeed, but an intriguing one.

Steve Johnson: not the highest potential guy on the board, but still has a baseline TSP that shows real potential, especially in terms of his viability to the u21. But no real focus seems to be getting made on his direction.

and as before, the other remaining guys are in similar position. I need to get motivated and reach out to the collective to see if I can get some motivation going. But all things considered we are where we need to be in terms of reaching worlds for next season, it's just I would like to find a way to go in as champ.

We get the host Tunisia this week, should be a fairly routine affair though it is always possible they may throw out maximum effort to steal a win. however I don't see that happening as for all intents and purposes the field is set for the next round.


Last edited by Coach Lambini at 1/4/2020 11:38:40 AM

SPRINGBOKS SURVIVE SLOPPY EFFORT SNEAK PAST TUNISIA 86-81

In a contest consisting of a seasons worth of mishaps in a forty eight minute time frame the RSA u21 stayed out of it's own way just enough to topple a game Tunisia 86-81. Fabian Poll was his usual self with 23 points and 8 boards and Jabulani Makeba and Ad Hayden also scored in double figures to pace the scoring efforts.

Afterwards in his press conference Coach Lambini had this to say: " Perhaps it was experimenting with the lineups a little bit which caused the disjointed effort That and combined with the decision to spread out the offensive focus perhaps had a lot to do with how the game manifested itself. All I know is we turned the ball over way too often (18-8) and the free throw shooting about did us in (13-30 compared with 21-24) . But these are all correctable mistakes and it's easier to have teachable moments after a win. I was happy though about the resiliency the kids showed when this thing threatened to get int a dangerous situation. I also like the fact that we managed to get a lot of guys meaningful minutes tonight as that only helps us going forward."

After leading 21-16 after the opening period the baby boks saw Tunisia go on a slight spurt to control the action in the second period though the boks did managed to draw even at intermission 39-39. In the 3rd Tunisia scored twelve of the first sixteen to take a 51-43 edge, but a 11-2 rally put the boks back in front 54-53. After the third it was a 59-58 edge for the boks but Tunisia took the first six of the period to take a 64-59 edge but from there the boks made their final push pulling ahead by 12 at 85-73 before some suspect free throw shooting accounted for the final margin.