BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD FOR APN
30 May 2008
At the last DBL tournament APN lost back to back games to the ZULU KINGS and PPI . Something that has not happened in the local league in the last 18 years. Various reasons could be attributed to the defeats but perhaps the most glaring is the attitude of the players towards putting in the effort to winning games and the inability of APN players to guard their opponents. These two aspects will have to change for the famous club to regain its pride through the rest of the year.
D.B.L. QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT
10 April 2008
This past weekend saw the D.B.L. complete its qualifying tournament. With A.P.N. playing the ZULU KINGS in the final and coming away with a 96 - 79 victory. The top 6 teams have now qualified for the D.B.L. which will kick off in the next 3 weeks as soon as the DURBAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY sportscentre has put in its new floor. The final standings of the tournament were :
1. APN
2. ZULU KINGS
3. DUT
4. UKZN PMB
5. APN VETS
6. DHS
7. UMLAZI BLASTERS
8. UKZN UDW
9. MOLWENI FLAMES
THE RETURN
10 April 2008
This past weekend saw the return of Lowell Mndaweni to the player he once was as he torched the ZULU KINGS in the finals of the D.B.L. QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT for 42 points. Over the past couple of years coaches around the country have tried to convert Mndaweni into a point guard , and a pretty good one at that , however his natural ability to score obviously had to now be subdued in the interest of the team. Not so this past weekend where playing for APN he was able to slide over to the shooting guard spot , with Cyril Shabalala running the point , and play his more natural position. ZULU KINGS coach Sanele Mthiyane had no answer for Mndaweni as he threw Nhlanhla Dlamini , 'Stanger' Khumalo and Sphe Manqele at Mndaweni in an attempt to control him. None of them had the answer though with Lowell walking off with a game high 42 points.
APN WIN PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENT
APN sent a message to the rest of the KZN clubs that they still remain the favourites to retain their title as KZN club champs this upcoming season , by winning the "ALL FOR ONE" preseason tournament held at DUT on Sunday.Teams that participated were 1. VETS 2.EXARROS 3.APN 4.UKZN WESTVILLE 5.UKZN PMB 6.DUT
The final saw APN blow out DUT by 36 points 97 - 61 after an unconscious shooting display from Nge shabalala (Tournament MVP) which saw him hit 9 treys in the game , hitting 6 in a row in the 4th quarter. The playoff for 3rd and 4th saw an upset with the Vets beating Exarros by 7 points 58 - 51.
Overall it was a good start to the season. The league Qualifying tournament will be held on the 5/6 April at DHS where only 6 teams out of the expected 12 will qualify to play in the KZN PREMIER LEAGUE.
MVP OF PRESEASON TOURNAMENT
Mxolisi Ngonelo (left) poses with Tournament MVP Nge Shabalala after the final which saw Shabalala destroy DUT's zone dropping 9 treys on them.
DUT TO HOST PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENT
15 February 2008
DUT is hosting a pre-season tournament at the Fred Crookes Sportscentre on Saturday 23 February.Local clubs and Tertiary Institutions are looking forward to getting back on the court after a 4 month break. With rumours of the PBL returning the tournament should draw a host of players wanting to make a name for themselves.
