At 2.21m, Hasheem Thabeet towered tall over his contemporaries at the University of Connecticut college basketball team.
But for the giant center Thabeet, who became the first Tanzanian basketballer to play in NBA when he was drafted by the Memphis Grizzles last July, his new life is a far cry from the days he worked as a nightclub bouncer to supplement his meager income as a part-time club player.
The 22-year-old Thabeet returned to his homeland for the first time since joining the Grizzles from the UConn Huskies in this year’s NBA draft earlier this month with a strong message.
He was accorded a warm reception befitting a celebrity, and was even honored with a state luncheon with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, himself a former basketball player and patron of the national association.
“We are very proud of you, Hasheem. You have brought fame to our nation,” Kikwete told the NBA star, whose new found status is likely to popularize the sport of basketball in a country where soccer is the No. 1 sport.
Thabeet, who only started playing basketball at age 13 and went on a long road before being noticed as a talented player, took the opportunity to lash out at the Tanzanian authorities for not doing enough to promote the growth of basketball in the country.
“Youths are not encouraged to play basketball and little is being invested on playing grounds. A few basketball courts that are available in the country are sub-standard, while others are in deplorable conditions,” he said.
He warned that success needs hard work.
“There is no shortcut to success. You have to be bold and committed,” said Thabeet, who steered the Huskies to a 31-5 record and a Final Four berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.
He was also twice voted the defensive player of the year in the Big East conference.
“Some people think success comes overnight. They don’t want to work for it,” he added, and criticized Tanzanian sports officials for what he described as a lot of lip service.
“Some people always come to visit me in the United States and they say that they have been sent to check on me and see how I am progressing with the game. It can sound ridiculous, because the same leaders have failed to put things back home in order,” he explained.
He was spotted by a US scout during a regional basketball tournament in Kenya and was offered a scholarship at the Cypress Community Christian school in Houston.
“I went to the US at the age of 13 and I was nothing in basketball,” he said. “I had to trust people I never met before because I knew what I was doing. The only people who were supporting me back home were my family, especially my mother.”
Thabeet joined the University of Connecticut in June 2006, where he averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game and was ranked the second all-time shot-blocker on the Big East list.
Thabeet decided to forgo his final year to enter the NBA and was drafted second overall by the Memphis Grizzles.
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take
Australia yesterday won two of four races on the first day of the SailGP Sydney event on Sydney Harbour to finish the day atop the points table ahead of Britain and a French team who made an outstanding return after missing the first two events of the season. Australia also had a third and a second placing, finishing the day with 37 points, ahead of Britain with 32 points and France with 27. Britain won the second race of the day and Switzerland, who won the first race, were in fourth place overall. Australia’s prowess in the start box was again the
RSS