Two Paarl-based basketball players have been recruited to play for a basketball team in Texas in the United States (USA) this year.
The players, Nabihl Liebenberg and Roderick Fredericks, will be representing the Purple Jags basketball team in the USA, according to Clarence Smalls Jr, founder of the Men’s 361 Basketball Association (M3BA), who recruited the two players.
Roderick Fredericks wears his Spartans Basketball Club vest, which displays his team number. PHOTO: Caitlin Maledo
“This year is our first year recruiting outside the US,” said Smalls Jr in email correspondence with MatieMedia. Liebenberg and Fredericks are also the first basketball players that the M3BA has recruited from outside the USA, according to Smalls Jr.
The two basketball players were playing for the Spartans Basketball Club in Paarl before they signed with the professional American basketball team, according to Fredericks.
“The M3BA and Purple Jags will benefit tremendously from Nabihl and Roderick because their work ethic and mental preparation is unteachable…and that will help evolve our community,” said Smalls Jr. The Purple Jags are based in Victoria, Texas.
Liebenberg and Fredericks are goal-driven and motivated players with lots of potential, according to Curtly Titus, coach of the Spartans Basketball Club.
“I have coached Nabihl since [he was] 14 years old, so it’s about seven years. And for Roderick, it’s about four or five years,” said Titus.
According to Liebenberg, his position as point guard on the basketball team makes him the “one who controls the game”. He was the only student from New Orleans Secondary School in Paarl to make the South African Basketball National League (BNL), said Liebenberg. He was also the youngest BNL player in South Africa, he added.
“I started playing senior basketball at 13 years old,” said Liebenberg.
Nabihl Liebenberg stands in front of a basketball hoop. He can recall watching the National Basketball Association (NBA) games on national television when he was younger, according to Liebenberg. PHOTO: Supplied/Kaylene Sauls
Fredericks decided to play basketball at the age of 10 after his cousin, who played basketball, passed away, according to Fredericks.
“I made a promise to myself and to her that I was [going to] continue her legacy in basketball,” said Fredericks.
Fredericks is 2.04 metres tall and plays in the position of center, which means that he is the “rim protector”, according to Fredericks.
“I’m the one that most probably gets the rebounds…stops the opponent from scoring if they get past the first line of defence,” said Fredericks.
Roderick Fredericks stands in between rugby posts. A highlight of his basketball career was being picked to play for the Cape Town Basketball Association (CTBA) All-Star Team in the Super League, said Fredericks. PHOTO: Caitlin Maledo
Fredericks will pursue a major in sports management at the University of Houston-Victoria during his time in Texas, he said. Liebenberg said he wants to “become a businessman” and hopes to pursue business courses when he is not playing basketball.
“I’m sad but also overwhelmed because that was my goal: to create players to strive,” said Titus on Fredericks and Liebenberg’s departure from the Spartans Basketball Club.
Curtly Titus trains with Roderick Fredericks. “They learn the sport quite well, so I used that, and I saw their potential […] I was just the guideline for them,” said Titus. PHOTO: Caitlin Maledo