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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.

When I checked the roster at the beginning of the season, I didn't expect a gold medal. A great achievement. Congratulations to the coach and the managers who have trained the players!

Last edited by Sandy at 3/24/2021 11:59:42 AM

Thanks Sandy and Donny!

When I checked the roster at the beginning of the season, I didn't expect a gold medal. A great achievement. Congratulations to the coach and the managers who have trained the players!

I actually felt the same way. I knew we were near the top of the pack but we were certainly not the favorites. Even now when I look at the updated salaries of our opponents, I can't help but be proud of the season we had in nearly winning every game.

Updated salaries of players:
- Al Maghrib's PG is at 20k, C at 28k, PF at 20k, SF at 17k and a back-up big at 15k.
- Egypt's big man is up to 206k(!), their PG at 80k, their SF at 20k and SG at 15k.
- Nigeria's C is at 35k, PF at 21k, SF at 18k and PG at 16k.
- South Africa only had Umi at 43k and Siamusiye at 18k but no one else above 15k.