UCT Basketball Teams Dominate Rhodes Festival

By Wanga Charma

On the evening of Thursday the 8^th of August, the University of Cape Town’s Basketball Club departed for Makhanda to participate in a tournament commemorating the 120^th anniversary of the founding of Rhodes University.

Photograph by Roanda Muedi. Used with permission.

The teams arrived at nine o’clock on Friday morning, and UCT’s women played their first game four hours later against Walter Sisulu University (WSU). This match set the tone for the rest of the tournament, as they came out swinging—playing physical basketball and being aggressive on both ends of the floor. Their full-court pressing defence, and consistent scoring from the free-throw line and inside the key, saw the game end in a convincing UCT victory with a final score of 53-34.

The men’s first game, also against WSU, was nothing but sheer domination from start to finish. UCT’s men played a physically imposing brand of basketball, stuffing the stat sheet and showcasing highlight-reel plays—monster dunks, blocks and buzzer-beater threes—in an offensive spectacle that ended in a 109-35 victory. The two wins for UCT set up finals against Rhodes, for both the men and the women, that took place after the third-place play-off games.

The match between the women of Rhodes and UCT was one for the ages—a chippy, tense game that had tempers flaring. It was evenly contested throughout, with multiple lead changes, and ultimately came down to the wire. With two minutes to go, it looked as though Rhodes would hold out for the victory, but some clutch buckets and important defensive stops by UCT sent the game to overtime, tied at 55 apiece. The visitors from the Cape played through the adversity, kept their composure—despite heckling and jeers from the home crowd—and edged out a narrow 60-59 victory to come out on top and finish the tournament as champions.

Photograph by Roanda Muedi. Used with permission.

The men had a very difficult act to follow as they stepped onto the court for the final game of the tournament. When the game tipped off, UCT wasted no time asserting themselves—jumping into an impressive early lead by using the fast break as their bread and butter offensively and playing lockdown defence. They kept building their lead with slick ball movement, deep threes and continued dominance down low. The eventual result felt like a formality as they closed out the game, and tournament, with a 90-57 scoreline—crowning them champions as well.

Standout player and UCT women’s captain, Sithokomele Nxumalo, was vocal in her appreciation for the players’ performances and the support: “I just want to say that I am super proud of everybody; they really showed out and gave it their best when it mattered the most in the tournament. Whether you were supporting us from Cape Town, screaming your lungs out on the bench or fighting it out on the court, all of these equally contributed to our win! It’s only up from here!”

With December’s University Sports South Africa (USSA) Championships fast approaching, UCT’s teams will continue their preparations in Friday Night Lights and Sunday League games, and we look forward to more entertaining matches from the club.