It is pretty safe to say the over a century old Adisadel College has underachieved in Ghana’s top flight high school basketball championship-Sprite Ball.
After competing in the Sprite Ball High School Basketball Championship right from the start in 2007, Adisco has failed to win the title. In fact, several teams that have represented the school at the prestigious championship, has never featured in a final game or the final four to have a shot at winning a medal.
The deepest run it has made thus far in the nine year old competition is the last eight where painful losses to heavyweights Keta Senior High School, Opoku Ware School and Mfantsipim School, have followed in prior years. 2015 highlighted Adisadel’s shortcomings as the side went unbeaten at the group stage beating 2008 Champions PRESEC-Legon, Kings College and Mpraeso Senior High School before exiting the tourney as Mfantsipim stormed to a record setting fourth title.
Matters worsened at the last edition held in January this year, as Adisadel failed to make it out of the preliminary stage with the team losing out to Prempeh College and Pope John High School as qualifiers. The team joined St. John School from Ghana’s Western Region capital, Takoradi in missing an elite eight spot as Prempeh made it through with a superior goal difference.
Now, for an institution that has produced talented basketball players including Sandy Asiedu now a pundit on top rated Ghanaian basketball television program “ Fast Break” and Ghana Wheelchair Basketball Federation Media Coordinator, Roderick Wellington and multiple Accra Basketball League(ABL) winner Richard Borsah. On August 12, this year, the biggest basketball celebration in the West African country took place and stake holders in the beautiful game were honored at the Ghana Basketball Awards with a famous alumni being crowned Coach of the Year.
Meme Falconer, after guiding University of Ghana to win the All Africa University Games, Ghana University Sports Association (GUSA) and Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges (UPAC) Basketball Championship respectively, was honored with the top award. Falconer is a highly respected basketball veteran who has cult like figure in the nation and in his current role on the sidelines, has been a strong force in harnessing talent in the game. For starters, his side Adenta Leopards recently secured qualification from the ABL Division II to the upper division in his first stint as Coach.
The plaudits don’t end there with the former University of Education-Winneba standout Forward coaching Ben Bentil to become the first ever Ghanaian born player to be drafted into the NBA. The former Providence College Forward was drafted 51st overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics and has named Falconer as a major reason behind his success.
But the underwhelming performances can be a thing of the past if recent happenings in the school’s history are to be looked at. Winning the Science and Maths Quiz title for the first time after many failed attempts including a finals loss in the 2014 edition has signaled a transitioning that has taken over the school and the Sprite Ball Championship is the next item on the checklist.
And what better way is there to continue the streak than winning the tenth anniversary of Sprite Ball, Adisco is primed to overcome the short falls and pit falls.
The black and white stripe uniforms tell a tale of disappointments and failures that have bedeviled the team but the time has come for glory and greatness to be either the first or the first.
