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By Paul Munyuki
THE Basketball Union of Zimbabwe are waiting for the All-Africa Games draw for them to finalise the friendly games for the women team’s preparations for the event set for Mozambique later this year.
The team became the first local side to qualify for the Games set for September in Maputo and BUZ president Addison Chiware and his crew have enough time to prepare for the tournament.
Chiware said they wanted to have international friendlies with teams in the region.
“We are targeting to have international friendlies for the side and it will be really beneficiary for the players’ fitness and also for the coaches to have a better look on areas that might need attention as we get closer to the tournament,” said Chiware.
The former Harare Basketball Association chairman, however, said that they would have to wait until the Games’ draw so that they will not play the same teams they would have been paired against.
“We would have to avoid a situation where we will play our group opponents and that is why first we will have to see the draw so that we get to play the teams with a similar style of play to those we will be drawn against.
“We have teams in the region like Botswana and we are also targeting Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“But the coach has indicated that he also wants to play Botswana because there are some elements of the game that he needs to test his side against Botswana.
“If we are going to play the teams from West Africa then we have to look at playing the DRC who have the same style of play with those teams.