Brave Hearts Shine at Zambia Basketball Tournament
Brave Hearts men’s and women’s basketball teams made Malawi proud at a three-nation tournament in Lusaka, Zambia, clinching gold and silver medals, respectively.
The Under-20 team also secured silver after falling to Ilanda in the final.
The tournament, hosted by Bridging Sports Foundation—an organization based in the U.S.—featured teams from Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.
Brave Hearts coach and sponsor Griffin Kalua hailed his squad’s performance, noting that the men’s team powered through the semi-finals on Friday, defeating Matero Magic before outclassing Matero Warriors 71-50 in the final to claim gold.
The women’s team put up a strong fight, beating Zimbabwe’s Napsa and Lady Lynx to reach the final but narrowly lost 43-40 to Zambia’s Green Buffaloes.
Kalua expressed pride in his teams’ achievements, emphasizing that their opponents had more experience and exposure.
“With the right approach, determination, and passion, anything is possible,” he said. “Last year, our men’s team qualified for the Elite 16 NBA FIBA Basketball League in Kenya—something never done before in Malawi’s basketball history. Just last week, all four of our teams won Central Zone Basketball championships. Now, in Zambia, we reached all three finals and won our first-ever gold. This is beyond amazing. All glory to God!”
The men’s team received an equivalent of K4 million for their victory, while standout player Fahad Billy was named Most Valuable Player, earning an additional K300,000.
