The University for Development Studies, UDS was the thumping side in the just ended GUSA basketball championship held in Accra. They were axe by all the teams, a performance that could best be described as awful.
In their first game against University of Ghana, UDS played as a disjointed team, lacked understanding of the game and bumbled in defense. They failed in their quest to excite their teeming fans who had travelled all the way from the northern part of Ghana .
Awkward as they were, they behaved like the blood donors in the competition. They virtually gave every team a loose knot to untie. It was an easy pay day for University of Ghana boys as they trash UDS 36-8 and surprisingly they were dramatically beaten by the novices and new entrants of this year’s competition, UMaT, 35-34.
I find it difficult to comprehend because this is a team that can boast of strength indepth from four different campuses- Tamale, Nyankpala, Wa and Navorongo. Surprisingly, they presented the weakest team. All their classy players were absent. Two names that readily come to mind are Kletus Alhassan who plays for Nima worriors and Dukakis Dunnes, a robust center. No wonder they exhibited such a poor showing.
They lacked ammunition upfront, no team work, nothing. In my opinion the UDS were ill prepared for the competition as they showed little or no hunger for success!
Their only weapon was the man in the 10 shirt, Ranford Quarshie who plays as a forward. He was their pivot. The others played as though they were not in existence, lacked vision and lost concentration so easily.
Even though they had experience on the bench in the person of Awunzina Baba, a top notch coach who was also appointed as the coordinator for basketball in the 2010 GUSA games, his qualities could not translate into wins for the developers.
From the way they played and the character exhibited, UDS even though were describe as a squad made for the future, were bedeviled by a myriad of problems ranging from institutional support, lack of infrastructure, lack of logistics and training gear.
I will beg of the authorities of the University to take sports seriously particularly basketball. If given the necessary push the athletes will shine.
UDS need to be supported to make up for the loss grounds. The time for revision is now. Let’s begin to revise our notes for the next GUSA games is nigh.
The 2010 GUSA basketball is brought to you by Nestle Milo – the energy food drink of future champions with support from Voltic mineral water and produced by Rite Multimedia, leaders in basketball development and promotion in Ghana.
I Wish the U.D.S team a better luck next time. We had all the the good players who could have taken the team to the final stage of the competition. I remember UDS beating legon in they first two quarters at the last GUSA games.We however lost due to poor officiating. This years officiating, from my own point of view was better . I think we lost this year because of the lack of preparation towards the tournament.. as for U Mat i still cant believe they beat us beat us. i just don know why. Can somebody tell me why?