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Kevin Grech talks to Basketball Association President Antonio Mizzi and discovers that interest in the game is on the rise
The women’s basketball team has had great success in recent years. Why wasn’t the success emulated by the men’s team?
First of all one has to say that the difference in level between countries is much bigger. We took more time until we found the right coach Mr Bruno Dipietrantonio. We have started a two-year programme. He will be staying in Malta to make sure of the progress by our players. He is also responsible for the development of the youth national teams.
The recent deal with the Italian Federation to allow Maltese players to play in the Italy is very positive. What has been the local coaches’ reaction?
At first it took all (coaches and clubs) by surprise and the reaction was negative. The MBA is made up of three components: administration (including referees), clubs (including coaches), and players. We have to take care of all three main players. We knew that it would have some reaction. I think that everyone will understand that this is in the interest of basketball. Most European countries have their best players playing outside their country. It is one of the many ways that we can improve the local game. Young players will look at this opportunity. They know that they have to work harder to go for such an experience.
How would you describe the level of foreign basketball players in Malta?
The only foreign players so far that can play in our competitions are those who lived here for three years. We have a small number of these players but we are not talking here of imported players. Some have a good level, others less.
Is the MBA planning national team and club level tournaments with foreign opponents to widen the players’ experience?
The national teams travel regularly to participate in various competitions. Recently the male senior team played in Libya against the host country and Algeria. We are very happy that the team had a discreet game against Libya and a very good game against Algeria, which in the last African championships came fourth. Unfortunately our clubs (due to financial reasons) do not participate in international tournaments. The MBA is working hard with the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) to find ways and means how we can help our clubs in this respect. Next year our national team’s seniors will participate in the FIBA Promotion Cup in Malta and Albania while the cadets’ national teams will also be participating in the Promotion Cups in Wales and Monaco.
Would you say the basketball league is gaining in popularity?
Yes. We are attracting more and more young players to play basketball. This coming season we have an increase in teams participating in the junior leagues. Also we are noticing great interest in Minibasket. The most important thing is that clubs have to appoint the best coaches for this sector to benefit at a later stage.
How competitive is the men’s league?
This year there were some interesting transfers of players. It seems that we will have a more balanced league. But we still have to wait and see what will eventually happen.
Is there a good response for the women’s league?
Not as much as we expected. We feel that we should have more teams participating in our competitions. Saying this I must mention also that this year we have two new teams. At the same time we are very strong in this sector (locally) and I think that we are one of the biggest sports.
Do you find it a problem to get people to come and watch the games?
This is a continuous problem for all sports. We are no exception. We have to try and make our competitions more attractive. We will be launching a campaign with minibasket players. If we manage to get interest in very young players to come and watch the games we will definitely increase the number of people who come and watch the games.
Does the MBA have any new projects in the pipeline?
Yes we have a number of projects, which we are working on. The most important is the construction of a new basketball arena. We are looking for partners interested in such a project to make it financially viable for all concerned.
What is being done to promote basketball in schools?
In conjunction with the Department of Education we run the Basketball Promotion Unit. We invite school children to attend basketball lessons at Ta’ Qali. We have approximately 300 children every week. Our national male squad coach will also shortly be visiting schools to teach the game. I will take this opportunity to invite schools interested in such a project to contact us for more information.
Is sponsorship for the sport a problem?
Sponsorships are becoming more and more difficult to obtain. We are lucky that a number of sponsors are ready to join us and we managed to retain what we had in the past. This means that others are seeing basketball as a good publicity vehicle for their company.
What is your most memorable achievement with the MBA?
First the Silver medal by the men’s team in Iceland in 1997.
Second the participation of our team in the Italian Serie C league in 1998.
Third the Gold medal by the women’s team in Malta in 2003.
Fourth the Bronze medal in the FIBA Promotion Cup by the women’s team in Andorra in 2004 and last but not least the agreement reached by the MBA with FIP regarding the Maltese players playing in the Italian competitions.
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