Israel Saria
United States Embassy in Dar es Salaam has declared to sponsor a number of basketball coaches in the country to attend training courses in America.
The announcement was made by the US Embassy Charge de Affaires, Lare Andres on Monday night during a function to congratulate Hasheem Thabeet, a Tanzanian basketball export now featuring in the NBA premiership with Memphis Grizzlers.
“US mission will be sending coaches not just from Dar es Salaam but from all parts of Tanzania”, the envoy declared
Thabeet’s recent success to hit a career landmark has exhibited hard work and determination that were behind his remarkable breakthrough into basketball heights, so says the envoy.
The American envoy said the Embassy is working with other partners in America for local based basketball coaches to attend a basketball clinic.
The coaches are assured of the Embassy’s full support from return flight tickets to all upkeeps while attending the course in America, later in September.
“In September we plan to get down basketball clinic for selected number of coaches who will be trained in US and fully funded by the American people,” he said.
The towering Thabeet is currently in the country for holiday and his return has ignited widespread excitement among basketball fraternity in the country.
The seven-feet-three-inch towering Thabeet expressed his sincere appreciation to the American Embassy for granting him entry visa that was a key towards realising his dream towards attaining basketball playing milestone achievement.
“Basketball over here has saved my life, without this game I would not be here tonight,” said Thabeet.
Thabeet went on to extend his thanks to his mother Rukia Manka for her support since he was a child.
“I remember seven years ago I was just a kid walking in the streets doing nothing, I never knew what I was going to do in my life, now I am in NBA,” he said.
The newly found Tanzanian basketball idol would not hesitate to thank President Jakaya Kikwete for moral support during his inexorable pursuit to join the NBA berth.
“I would like to thank President, JK, for the encouragement and spare his time to speak to me every time he visited America, I would like to thank him very much,” he said.
Thabeet threw a challenge to the rest of basketball players in the country to work hard and play superbly so as to achieve desired results.
The director of sports in the ministry for Information, Culture and Sports, Leonard Thadeo, thanked the basketball star for making Tanzania proud while he made a call to other players to emulate him.
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