Coach Buruno Return After 25 Years Abroad, What Does It Mean For The Future Of Somalia Basketball?

By Karim Abdul

MOGADISHU TUESDAY 26TH JULY 2016: Twenty five years after pursuing basketball across the borders, celebrated basketball coach Mahallin Osman Buruno jetted back to the country last month to take second lead of Somalia’s national basketball team.

Assistant Coach Buruno and Head Coach Abduqaadir Hagi Dahir Shiikha were appointed one year ago after the Federation that was elected in May 2014 fired the then tactician. Many stakeholders view this move as a bold statement and Coach Buruno already sees that as the start of something big.

“It is a real opportunity to come back home to my lovely Country and get a chance to be part of coaching our National Team, the players deserve to represent their Country in all competitions that we take part in”Coach Buruno told Goobjoog News.

Somali National Team tasted victory back in 1979 when they rolled to victory and won Gold Medal in Arab Basketball Championship held in hometown Mogadishu they then came 3rd in FIBA Africa Basketball Games in 1981 held at the same venue.

Since then Somalia National Team has taken part in one major Tournament, Zone 5 Basketball 2014 held in Kampala Uganda.

A GLIMPSE OF HOPE, CONFIDENCE METER

The players are preparing for the resumption of the National league, which is due to kick off soon.

“This is a great blessing to have Coach Buruno here, as a Federation we are ready to go out of our way to develop this beautiful game in our Country. We want to take back our level of game to the glory days when we won Gold Medal, when all regional Countries feared to be grouped with us in Tournaments”

However much funding is needed to take the beautiful game to its glory days. Last season saw teams squire it out when they posted impressive results in packed courts.

“We are counting on the Somali People to continue supporting us and I also call upon the business community to come out in numbers to help nurture our youth by way of sponsoring us to keep improving. We have acquired services of Coaches with International exposure to the game and we can assure you that the sky is the limit” added Adani Federation President

HOME GROWN TALENT

Most National Team Players come from North America and Europe. There is a urgent need to rethink and grow our league so that we can nurture talent which is immerse to do away with importing players to represent our country. Even though every Somali Citizen has a right to represent the country we can make it with the local based talent.

Coach Buruno is finding it difficult to disguise his early optimism, and he praised his players’ work in their brief practice time together. Although there is room to learn he said that the squad looked remarkably connected.

“These young people are stacked with talent. So stacked that we can’t even gauge how good it is … yet. We are still growing together. We’re learning more about one another, and all aspects of the game defense, attack are there pretty much the whole package.

UPCOMING NATIONAL TEAM DATES

Coach Buruno urged the National League Coaches to instill discipline and encourage good attitude in their players so that they can produce players who can represent the Country Internationally.

Somalia will take Part in two tournaments in the near future. December Zone 5 Basketball in Tanzania and in December Arab Basketball Championship in Tunisia.

“We believe that the team will excel at the two upcoming engagement’s because of its abundance of versatile players, our work is cut out on the chemistry and coordination. We have very high hopes in this team” Those were the parting words from the returning Coach Buruno while exclusively speaking to Goobjoog News.

Ends