| Young JCBA basketball players are among the favorites in Toamasina. |
The most anticipated annual meeting in basketball for young people is fast approaching. The Soavita gymnasium in Toamasina will host, from July 5 to 13, the U16 national championship, bringing together the best male and women’s training from the various regional leagues. The stake is clear: succeed JCBA in boys and MB2all in girls, the two reigning champions.
This edition brings together 44 clubs qualified for the final phase: 24 in the male category and 20 in the female category. This diversity reflects the vitality of basketball for young people in Madagascar, despite notable differences in representation between the regions.
The Atsinanana League, host of the competition, will be particularly well represented with four clubs for boys and girls. Among them: Crjs, Ascut, ACMB or VEB, which will evolve in front of an audience acquired to their cause, a major advantage.
The Analamanga League is also distinguished by its strong presence, which aligns five female clubs and four male, proof of structured and constant training work. Clubs such as Assm, JCBA, NBE or Cosfa are already references on the national scene and will try to win back the summits.
Uncertain Mb2all
The format of this edition promises the show. All the teams will fight for the national title, but also to assert their regional supremacy. If some leagues like Fitovinany, Bongolava or Diana engage only one club, they are nonetheless formidable. Last year, some surprises came from unexpected training, recalling that excellence can emerge from everywhere.
Among the girls, Fandrefiala, Lucadro, Dunamis or Nas will be monitored closely, as are the clubs awaiting confirmation in the leagues of Vakinankaratra and Boeny.
At a time when we finish these lines, the MB2all, outgoing champion with girls, is not yet qualified. “For the moment, we do not know if we will defend our title. There is still a place to compete and it will depend on the league decision. We will know very soon if we will make the trip to Toamasina, ”says Ny Tsiaro Valisoa Randrianjatovo, coach of Mb2all.
In this competition where the raw talent and the enthusiasm of youth are expressed without restraint, each match will be able to vacillate the hierarchy. The atmosphere promises to be electric in Toamasina, a real Malagasy basketball showcase tomorrow. That the best team wins.
Donné Raherinjatovo
