Nkosinathi Vusi Dlamini

This week we have a young player, but not just any young player, the captain of the 2018 SA U16 squad. This young man has proven himself to be way ahead of his time in terms of playstyle. With a pure jumpshot, a strong ability to handle the ball and the strength of a pitbull. What a lot of people don’t know is that Nkosi is actually a rugby player by nature which explains his toughness and grit on the court. What I find fascinating about is apart from his skill level is that he only started playing basketball in Grade 8. While captaining the St Charles first team for 2 years now and a good academic record, the sky is the limit for the young buck. Extremely humble and passionate about everything he does, Nkosi has a bright future whether its corporate, basketball or rugby.

Here are some questions I asked him earlier this week:

Full name

Nkosinathi Vusi Dlamini

Age

16

Years played on national team

1 year

Games played on national team

11 games

Best player you’ve played against at national level

In 2018 the starting PG for Angola, he’s the quickest and most explosive player I have ever had to guard in all my time playing the game. He could take two dribbles and manoeuvre his way to the rim and get a crafty finish at the rim. He was also very strong which made guarding him really difficult.

Your favourite/standout game at national level

My favourite game at national level was against Botswana. Playing against the home team at their home court brought a different type of challenge to the table. For us as a team and myself especially to be able to go over to their country and play them and win convincingly while wining over the fans support was a great victory in my books. It also allowed me to gain the confidence I needed for the rest of the tournament.

A favourite story from national team

During our game against Namibia I remember getting the ball on the wing and making my move to the rim, crossing over the opposing teams captain and getting the and-one and making the free throw. All this was caught on tape by one of the fans in the crowd. We left the court and went to lunch. We sat next to the Namibian team when they suddenly called me to their table to watch a video... it was of me crossing up their captain. After everybody watched it they turned to their captain and did not hold back any words or laughter as the captain vs captain battle ended so badly for him.

A message to the kids

What I learned from making the team as cliché as it may sound is that once you work hard enough for what you want and have the will to do whatever it takes, no matter how long the process is, your hard work will reap the rewards for you. Making the national team took me from a player that was overlooked and never really noticed to someone who is now seen as a threat when playing which has really added to my confidence on the court. It has also pushed me to work harder because I have had a glimpse of what putting your all into something can do for you and its just been a great gift from God.