The Wellington WIZARDS Basketball Team was founded on January 29, 2010. The team is a Division 2 basketball team in Sierra Leone, with headquarters in the East of the capital city Freetown. The WIZARDS basketball team is made up of 12 players and a coach. The team uses the SLIMS Basketball Court as its playing ground. The team participated in its first league in February, which they won as Division 2 champions.
Contents
- Origins
- List of founding members
- First competition
- Match statistics
- Player statistics
- Emerging challenges
- The Wizards Foundation
- References
The Wellington WIZARDS is so named in imitation of the NBA Basketball Team named Washington Wizards. The team then adopted the line "Magic is Might" from the Harry Potter book as its motto. The team is also known by other names which include the WIZARDS, WIZ and simply WZ. The teams favorite game slogan is "One game, one aim, one victory". The WIZARDS basketball team has a website which they prefer to call a WIZsite that was developed using the services of Webs.com. The team also have lots of groups and pages across the Internet to boost interaction with fans and sponsors. A link to this portal can be found below.
Origins
The team started at the SLIMS Basketball Court at Wellington, Freetown: six basketball enthusiasts came together to discuss what was to them at that time a mere obsession. Their discussions became the birth process of the Wellington WIZARDS Basketball Team.
The name Wellington WIZARDS was adopted in imitation of the NBA team, Washington Wizards, which is a basketball team in the United States. The Wellington WIZARDS adopted the saying “Magic is Might” from the Harry Potter book as its motto. Six became eleven a few days later when their friends and brothers sought to join them.
Below is a list of all the founding members of the team (and the dates they became members).
List of founding members
Alexander Josef Edward Kamara (January 29, 2010) Alpha Ibrahim Koroma (January 29, 2010) Alpha Jalloh (January 29, 2010) Amadu K. Kargbo (January 29, 2010) Ibrahim Kallon (January 29, 2010) Samuel Juah (January 29, 2010) Abdulai Bangura Alpha Ambrose Kargbo Ibrahim Bakarr Kamara Ibrahim Jalloh Ibrahim S. Kamara Tejan Kamara (newest member)
First competition
The team was initially formed to participate in an upcoming basketball competition, the BRS Wellington Area Basketball League – Division 2. Therefore, one month after its formation, the team participated in its first competition as a Division 2 team. Few people paid the WIZARDS any attention as they were waved off as a talented but immature team. However, the WIZARDS quickly changed this image when they registered emphatic victories over old and ‘mature’ teams that even had better skilled players. The magic to their success was simple. They played each game with passion and determination. Their teamwork was phenomenal and all of their efforts paid off because they were a team. The slogan “One game, one aim, one victory” suited them well. They did not just win their first match, but they went on to win each and every one of them, and they won the league too. However, because of mismanagement by the organizers of the league, the trophies and awards were never presented. The Wizard's best players in the league were Alexander Josef Edward Kamara (Forward, 76 points in 5 matches), Alpha Ambrose Kargbo (Guard, 60 points in 5 matches), Alpha Koroma (Center, 31 points in 5 matches) and Amadu Kargbo (Guard, 11 points in 5 matches) who acted mostly as their coach, instead of a player.
Match statistics
The Wizards played a total of five matches and made a total of 223 points. Out of this, 176 points was from two-points, 36 from three-points and 11 from free throws. The team scored only 27 points in their first match but was able to score above 50 points in two other matches while they came close to scoring 50 again in a third match. The team's worst score was 27 and its best score was 59. 158 points were made against the Wizards Team, which shows a very impressive defensive record. A detailed match report in tabular form can be found below.
Player statistics
Ten players competed in the competition for the Wellington Wizards team. One of their players (player no. 16) played for his school club SLIMDEMIX. Each player played in at least three matches except player 14 who played in only two matches. The following table gives more details.
Emerging challenges
After this victory, came their biggest challenge: what do they do next? Basketball competitions are like valuable, high-priced gems in Sierra Leone. They were lucky to be located near one of the few basketball courts in the country. The SLIMS Basketball court is considered one of the best in the country; however, it is made of cemented floors and no seats to watch matches from. The management of basketball is rather weak and unqualified. These were and are still some of the challenges they face and trust me; it is only the elephant’s tail.
The Wizards Foundation
The team made a bid to enter the National Basketball League (in Sierra Leone), but they needed to put their house in order. They elected an executive from among the players and a coach to help them manage the team. The WIZARDS Basketball Team, which is self-managed by the players, shot for the sky. The management was named the Wellington WIZARDS FOUNDATION, but this body is almost inseparable from the team as the players themselves are their own managers. The team started saving money through contributions from players, chasing sponsorship deals and working to earn some cash for their registration into the National Basketball League. With the appointment of their new coach, they started training hard and playing test matches.