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Thanks Giorgio and Donny! We have performed about as strongly as we possibly could to this point so far, though we have a really tough opponent to go up against in the final game but we've certainly got a chance to win it all so it'll be a good one.

While I am certainly doing my fair of research before each game, I've also had the help of several managers - Lesley1226, FeelthePressure and mathew13693 - in game planning, which I am extremely appreciative of, and welcome anyone else's insight as well. I believe the discussion we have on the Discord helps us come to the best possible game plan and hope that will prove to be the case again tomorrow!

Very complicated match. But the important thing is that we won and the gold is ours.
Congratulations to you and to all those who have contributed with their players

Finals: Al Maghrib 58 vs. South Africa 66 (59320)

Season Record: 13-1

Standing: U21 AFRICAN CHAMPIONS!

An ugly, defensive slugfest this game turned out to be but the Baby Boks pulled it off! U21 Gold has returned back to South Africa for the first time in 14 seasons!

- When a game turns into a brawl, you want Umi Mugabe on your side. The leader of this squad stepped up onto the biggest stage and snatched the Gold! He led the team with 26 points and 17 rebounds, both of which were team-highs.
- 19-year-old Shafilshuna Machemko had the tough defensive assignment guarding the opposing PG who shot 33 times in the game as Al Maghrib ran their Patient offense through him. He picked up his 5th foul in the 3rd but managed to play smart defense the rest of the way and not foul out. Additionally, he came through in the clutch, hitting a big shot in the final minute and tacked on a couple of free throws to help ice the game. Big things are in store for this youngster, so keep an eye on him.
- The team really came together to collectively hold Al Maghrib to shooting 25% from the field. While the team didn't excel offensively, they can take pride in a stout defensive performance at the most crucial moment.

Player of the Game: Umi Mugabe (48097274) trained by JimyW

Congratulations to all involved with training and gameplanning to get us to this moment. It was certainly a collaborative victory that everyone who took part should be able to savor in!

More acknowledgments to come...

Huge W after a very nice season. Congrats to you and all the managers who trained the players! :)

What an achievment ! Great work so far 💪

Congratulations! A well-deserved gold medal. I'm surprised by the the opponent's defense. I have never used the Inside Box and One. What do you think?

What a success! Terrific job! :)

Congratulations! A well-deserved gold medal. I'm surprised by the the opponent's defense. I have never used the Inside Box and One. What do you think?

When I saw his defense I was surprised and I thought like you, that this game was ours, I would never have used that defense.

Thank you all! Very excited to bring home the GOLD!

Congratulations! A well-deserved gold medal. I'm surprised by the the opponent's defense. I have never used the Inside Box and One. What do you think?

I have yet to see it be a very effective defense and would only even consider it if I was desperate to try something different to win. They had actually played that defense twice on us this season and it didn't go how they wanted either time. Our offense really stalled in this one though but I don't necessarily credit that heavily to the defense they ran since Mugabe, who that defense should've been geared to stop, still had a strong game. He likewise had a strong game the previous game (58393) they ran it. Also, interestingly enough, their inside defense rating did not increase at all on account of that defense compared to when they played M2M in the semi-finals (59259).

Last edited by A Warrior at 3/23/2021 5:14:15 PM

To close out my inaugural season, I'd like to share some accolades and acknowledgments.

Accolades

- Umi Mugabe ended his U21 career in 5th all-time in rebounds (394) and 10th all-time in points scored (500). Additionally, this season he also led the team in points (238) and rebounds (190) and was 3rd on the team in assists (46). His 190 rebounds was also the 4th highest rebound total in South African U21 history in a single season. He was this Season 52's MVP, receiving the Player of the Game award in 9 games.
- This season Gonasilan Sono led the team in assists (57) from his position as the team's starting center and also was 2nd in rebounds (149). He received the Player of the Game award in 2 games this season.
- Asanda Hadebe came in 2nd on the team in scoring this season (198) and 3rd in rebounds (85). He received the Player of the Game award in 1 game this season.
- Elphus Siamusiye was 3rd on the team in scoring (158) and 2nd on the team in assists (49). He received the Player of the Game award in 1 game this season.
- Thoibo Lonco, Shafilshuna Machemko and Thikhathali Zibi all also received the Player of the Game award in 1 game this season.
- Momar Phatudi made it to being tied for 6th place for the all-time games played list for South Africa's U21 with 42 games played.
- This season's championship gave South Africa its 3rd U21 Gold in 52 seasons and was a feat that hadn't been accomplished since Season 38.
- The team's 13-1 record for the season is tied for the best season in South African U21 history, which is also shared by Season 38's team.
- At the beginning of the season, South Africa's U21 team was the 64th ranked team in the World and ended it ranked 36th.

Acknowledgments

- To all of you who have trained players and are training players, thank you for the time and effort put into it! This could not have been accomplished without the time and effort you put into both training your players and keeping them in good gameshape!
- Much appreciation to those who have joined my staff and helped share thoughts on game planning - FeelthePressure, Lesley1226 and mathew13693.
- Thanks to coachlambini for having laid the groundwork for this team in his previous seasons as U21 coach and also his work in helping us obtain home-court advantage.
- Thank you again to all of you who voted for me and gave me a chance to coach this season's U21 team. It was a lot of fun and I've really enjoyed this journey so far.

While Season 52 ends, the U21 journey continues afresh with another season and new trainees entering the fold. Onward we march towards winning more gold trophies in Africa's future tournaments to add to the collection!



Last edited by A Warrior at 3/24/2021 11:34:51 AM

Great season. Nice summary. Thx.