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ALEXANDRA MASEKO

Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
UNITED STATES-based Zimbabwean female basketball player Alexandra Maseko says there is need to start development of players at an early stage to cover the gulf that exists between this country and the best nations in the sport.
Maseko, who is in the country until Tuesday, was speaking to the media after a live session  dubbed “A day in the life of a student athlete in the US” with aspiring young sportspersons where she was the guest speaker.

The session was co-hosted by EducationUSA and School Sports Network at Eastgate Mall in Harare yesterday.

“It’s very difficult. I would say it starts with having a good sort of coaching pools, which we have a couple already.  But they need to be more of them, more that are sort of dedicated to working with kids that are of a younger age.

“So when they start younger the skill development gets better as you progress not like me where I started when I was old,” said Maseko.

Maseko said players also need to be exposed to international events so they have an idea of what to expect at the high level of competition.

The US-based player had earlier on Wednesday spent some time with children from Tariro House of Hope in Epworth and donated some sneakers.

“I have just been a youth ambassador with them for a short while. It’s not the first time that I have collected a whole bunch of sneakers but this time around I just wanted to bring them and actually just to give them to the kids here.

“I have been collecting them for a while in the States, so I sort of made this campaign and I reached out to social media networks and my friends and my connections out in the States to help me fundraise for the trip and actually made the trip now.

“So I was able to just spend some time with them yesterday, I just hanged out with them, played games with them and just have lunch with them.

“That was just the main thing, just to spend time with them and distribute some of the shoes that I brought and also just to leave them encouraging words as well and expose them to new opportunities as well,” said Maseko.