Four communities will slug it out for a place in the finals of the on-going U-18 basketball tournament when the semi-finals are rolled out at the El-Wak stadium on Friday August 28th, 2009.
The four glamorous teams who have qualified for the top flight are expected to exhibit the best of basketball standards only to be seen in an NBA game. The crucial duel which comes off at the El-Wak Stadium at 2pm is likely to be characterised by beautiful play, stamina, artistry, speed and technique. Both matches promises to generate fireworks as all the four teams; Dansoman, Kaneshie, Ridge and Cantonment declare an open ‘war’ in their quest to lift the ultimate trophy and the cash prize.
The top liner which happens to be the first of the two matches is between the ever determined coach of Cantonments, Coach Daniel Sowah Dua and the fearless Sam Tagoe of Kaneshie. The match which promises to be intriguing is expected to be tight and keenly contested. Cantonments, likely to parade seasoned players like Raymond Maha, one of the discoveries of the tournament and Frank Agbodo a shooting guard are likely to tear the defence network of the Kaneshie side apart. Also revealing is Gilbert Mensah at the central position of the Cantonments set up. He possesses size along with athleticism and skill which constitutes an unparallel asset for a team.
Kaneshie on the other hand will showcase enterprising stars like Francis Nii Lantey, a shooting guard likely to be tagged as the chief tormentor on the court. Francis is quick on the ball, a jump shooter and can also drive the basket. Nana Kofi Danquah the Power forward in the eleven shirt of the Kaneshie team is another classic player who on a good day can course a lot of havoc to any team. He has an excellent mobility coupled with accurate shooting technique.
The second high profile encounter currently generating the talk of the town is the game between the favourites Dansoman led by Maja Olunloyo against the might of Ridge, given technical guidance by Coach Lawal Brimah, the National team coach. Players of both teams are all poised for action and are ready to showcase their talents on the court this Friday during the semi-final contest.
Ola Jeffery, Dansoman’s outstanding point guard is hopeful that his team will come out victorious. As a point guard he is expected to run the team’s offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time. His close contender in the Ridge team is Lantey Blankson who plays like Allen Iverson in the NBA. He has the unique ability to outrebound and defensively shut down rival Power forwards.
Hundreds of Fans who may attend this historic event will be held spell bound, sitting on tenterhooks during the entire duration of the games. This is because the four teams have promised good basketball and have shown signs of their readiness to knock out any opponent who tries to come between them and the ultimate trophy.
Community Dunks is an initiative of Rite Multimedia and sponsored by Sprite and Indomie with support from DDP Outdoor Ltd, Western Publication, Silicon House Production, Y FM, TV Africa, Ghana’s World News Paper and 90 minutes; the official News Paper for the tournament.
