The ManicaPost
Fungayi Munyoro Sports Correspondent
HE is rubbing shoulders with some of the celebrated players in South Africa.
He has made a name for himself in Mzansi as South Africa is popularly known as. He is living his childhood dream. For a lad who grew up in Mutare’s Dangamvura high-density suburb, he did not know that he will rub shoulders with the best South Africans as a professional basketball player. It never crossed his mind that one day he will leave a mark in foreign lands.
Meet Mutare-born basketball star, Stenard Mapurisa.
The Weekender caught up with Stenard who had come back home for a break.
Since his move to South Africa, the talented player has made huge impact on the local scene.
“Life is good in South Africa. I am enjoying everything and the level of competition. I am turning out for Western Cape Mountaineers which plays in the National Basketball League.
I have been there since 2013. I have won several accolades including being voted the best player in the national league thrice. I was also selected among the best five players in the country recently. I won this for two good years. I cannot remember other tournaments, but I am enjoying my play that side. Here in Mutare I played for Mercenaries for seven years. I also had a stint with Mbare Heat in 2013,” he said.
Born on October 15, 1987, Mapurisa attended Rujeko Primary School, Hartzell High and Hillcrest College for his ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels.
He said he used to play other sports like soccer and athletics before taking up basketball. Mapurisa was inspired by his elder brother, Willard who used to play basketball for Hartzell and Mercenaries.
“My journey in basketball has been extremely good. Every time I win an accolade, it is just the beginning of something great to come,” he said.
A domestic league champion with Mercenaries back in 2005, Stenard had his first contact with basketball when he was 15-years-old when he featured for the provincial team which took part in the Zimbabwe National Youth Games.
In 2005, he represented the country at the National Zone Six Games.
It was at Hillcrest College that the former Mercenaries player honed his skills as he prepared for a grand leap into the professional world.
He left for South Africa in 2010 to further his education at Cape Town Peninsula University of Technology where he continued with his top drawer form.
While he enjoys success in a foreign land, he also ponders on the future of the game in the country.
“We got a lot of talent in Zimbabwe, but it is very tough to do anything because nobody takes the sport seriously. It does not pay at all. As long as we do not have a sponsor, it will be very difficult for the game to grow in Zimbabwe,” he said.
The 29-year-old player dreams of playing in the big money show of NBA in the United States of America where the best players in the world ply their trade.
