Young guard looks to make mark

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This article was published 03/07/2017 (3215 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Maltha Uwambajimana began playing basketball less than three years ago.

Now the 14-year-old Winnipegger is preparing to play at a national championship.

Uwambajimana and the Manitoba 15-and-under girls’ hoops team was at the Healthy Living Centre on Sunday where it faced off against Saskatchewan twice in the Prairie Cup Challenge. Saskatchewan and Manitoba also played a pair of 15U boys’ games.

Learning to play the point guard position under the coaching of Basketball Manitoba board member Darren Sampson at Acadia Junior High School has been instrumental in her development.

“When I first started playing basketball I knew nothing and he taught me how to look up and see the people ahead of me and control the ball while I have the ball in my hands,” Uwambajimana said.

Sampson is also at the helm of the 15U girls’ squad who will be in Regina for nationals from July 24 to 29, and Uwambajimana thinks playing on the provincial team this summer will only further her development ahead of her first year of high school basketball with the Fort Richmond Centurions.

“I think it’s going to help me a lot because I’m going to see other players who are really good players so it will give me a challenge and inspire me to get better and improve my skills in basketball,” Uwambajimana added.

Sampson described the up-and-coming five-foot-five guard, who dreams of playing hoops at the post-secondary level, as a “sponge” because she soaks up a ton of information.

“She’ll go home, watch YouTube ball-handling drills and she comes back with something new all the time,” Sampson said. “It’s amazing and it’s a great.”

“Her ability to handle the ball is very good,” he continued. “She is great at seeing people while she’s dribbling the ball full speed, head up, and unbelievable at getting the ball to the basket. Her range needs work but it’s her ability to slash, get to the basket and find people that she’s doing well and finding open shooters.”

Sampson will be taking his team to Ames, Iowa, next weekend where they will compete in the Simply The Best tournament. That will be their last competitive tune up before heading west down the Trans-Canada Highway for nationals.

Still, he noted the importance of the Prairie Cup Challenge for his team as it continues to build towards its trip to the Queen City.

“It’s wonderful because you get to see another province your age,” Sampson said. “This is invaluable getting out here and playing another provincial team it’s good for the girls. They get the butterflies a bit out of the system before they get (to nationals) and it’s a barometer of where we are at and what we can work on.”

Defensively, Sampson said his team has a few things still to work on, such as transition and half-court defence. Still, he liked what he saw offensively against Saskatchewan.

Jon Giesbrecht, who coaches Manitoba’s 15U boys’ squad, also has the mindset of getting better before Canadians.

He appreciated the effort his players showed against Saskatchewan.

“The effort we put out was good,” Giesbrecht said. “We are doing the right things on both sides of the ball and we are pressuring, we are being unselfish.”

“We have a lot of high-character guys that work hard, that are talented, that really want to get better,” he continued.

Instead of going to Iowa, Giesbrecht is taking his team to Indianapolis to participate in the Adidas Invitational from July 12 to 16 as its final tuneup before nationals.

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