FORMER JBC star player Eric Banda, now plying his trade across the border in Mozambique at Costa do Sol, is relishing a call to the senior men national team when the qualifiers for the All Africa Games begin. Banda is looking forward to be part of the national team that will compete during the All Africa Games set for Mozambique next year. He hopes to use what he has learnt in Mozambique in the national team and add value during the qualifying matches.
Besides the qualifiers for the All Africa Games, there are qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations. These qualifying matches will run concurrently Banda has won various medals since his school days at Embakwe High School in Plumtree and Milton High in Bulawayo. The Bulawayo star took his basketball career to another level, playing in the national league before his move to Mozambique last year. His first club was Giants Basketball Club in Bulawayo, where he won seven league titles.
From Giants, Banda switched base and joined Harare based side JBC under the guidance of Addison Chiware. Banda won nine Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards and has been capped 18 times in the national team. In his first season in the Mozambican league, which is sponsored by Vodacom, Banda won the championship trophy with Maxaquene and was voted the league MVP. After a stint with Maxaquene, Banda this season joined Costa do Sol. Last season he averaged 19 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and 14 assists per game.
The former JBC kingpin is now eyeing a move to the United States of America. Banda feels he has the capacity to play in the NBA. The Mozambican basketball league runs from August to December and has 10 teams. Banda is not the only foreigner at Costa do Sol as there is also a Congolese player in the team. At the end of last season the league management committee changed rules governing the foreign quota system. The new rule was that only two foreigners can be registered by a club. At Maxaquene we were three foreigners, including two Americans, and I was approached by Costa do Sol and made the switch.
Since my move to the Mozambican league, my performance has vastly improved and there is still room for improvement. In the Mozambican league the game is more technical and funding is abundant as sponsors scramble to sponsor teams. Some of the sponsors include airline, banks and cellphone companies. Our club is sponsored by a cellular company called MCell and a construction company owned by a Portuguese, Banda said. Banda said the Mozambique national team will report for camp next week to start preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Mozambique will not be taking part in the All Africa Games qualifiers, as they are the host country. Some of the nations that will battle during the Africa Cup of Nations Cup include Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland and Botswana. Banda also has a passion for football when he is not on the basketball court. He played for Highlanders juniors in primary school. In Mozambique, Banda follows the Costa do Sol soccer team coached by Zimbabwean David Yogi Mandigora, the former Dynamos mentor