PeacePlayers South Africa Storybook FINAL - Flipbook - Page 71
she has “always been there to support me emotionally every step of the way. She takes me to
school and makes sure that there is food on the table.” His mom now works in Korea, his dad
works in Pietermaritzburg, while his Gogo looks after him in Umlazi L section.
While they have experienced challenges in their respective upbringing, positive shared
memories have arisen that they will never forget about:
I. BASKETBALL INTRODUCTION
After originally meeting in January 2021, Simamukele took it upon himself to teach
Itumeleng how to play basketball from scratch. Itumeleng was a soccer player at heart with
no knowledge of basketball rules or basics like shooting and dribbling. Simamukele says
“I trained Tumie (Itumeleng, he was always there (at the courts) after we first met”. Tumie
confidently concurs, while also crediting Coach Thandeka Thusi and Coach Lungisani
Mtshali for his understanding of basketball.
II. PROVINCIAL SELECTION
Later in 2021, both Itumeleng and Simamukele earned Under 14 All KwaZulu-Natal Colours
for basketball. This group is a team of the best basketball players in the province at their
age group. They achieved these colors after a series of rounds at the district level at the
Hoy Park courts, where PeacePlayers Bi-Annual City-Wide Tournament takes place. Being
selected was a pleasant shock to Itumeleng who had just learned how to play the game. He
had a natural feel for the game. During the All-KZN Colours selection process, Itumeleng's
dad, Andile Mnyandu, was visiting from Pietermaritzburg. This moment was the first time
Andile saw his son play basketball and states that he "didn't know Itumeleng was this good. I
can't wait to see his growth in the game”.
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