The latest from Matabeleland North basketball, the Victoria Falls clubs, schools competition and grassroots development across the districts.
Victoria Falls Panthers began with a 42-13 win over Royal Eagles Academy, while the Suns edged Hwange Basketball Club 34-30. Hwange BC Women then held off Panthers Women 29-28 in a one-point finish.
Hwange Sports Pavilion · 10 October 2026
Verified stories touching Matabeleland North and its basketball community, drawn from Zimbabwean sports coverage.
All three opening-round scores, current standings and a report from the 2026/27 tip-off at Hwange Sports Pavilion.
The Suns finished the Matabeleland North Top Teams League season unbeaten on 12 points to be crowned provincial champions, with Victoria Falls Panthers second on 10 and Hwange's Royal Eagles Academy third. Suns guard Isaac Sibanda was named league MVP, averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds a game. Co-ordinator Brighton John Musaidzi said the league, run from February by the clubs themselves, gave players the game time they badly needed to revive the sport.
Source: Chronicle / Zimpapers Sports Hub, "Victoria Falls Suns crowned champions" · 1 May 2024
The Southern Region Basketball League was revived to lift the standard of the game across Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Bulawayo, Midlands and Masvingo. Victoria Falls Panthers line up alongside Highlanders, Warriors, Legends, Falcons, Wolves, Southern Mavericks, Unicorns and Lakers, with the league aimed at grooming quality players and boosting performance at the National Championships.
Source: Chronicle, "Southern Region Basketball League returns" · 19 June 2024
Plans for a Victoria Falls Basketball Academy were unveiled to grow grassroots basketball, reach under-served rural communities on the town's periphery and set up a functional junior league. Musaidzi said the academy is developing a provincial policy to register and train all coaches and officials, including child-protection training, so that basketball courts are safe places for children to learn and grow.
Source: Herald / Chronicle, "Basketball Academy for Vic Falls" · 12 January 2024
As the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe reshaped its national league format, Matabeleland North was recognised for recently introducing a league with teams from Hwange and Victoria Falls, one of the active provincial leagues feeding into the national competition. The debate underlined how a running provincial league is what puts a province on the national map.
Source: Herald, "Mixed feelings over Basketball Union of Zimbabwe new league format" · 27 February 2024
Building on sustained growth for Victoria Falls Panthers and the Hwange region through 2023, the club moved to partner with a school and keep running tournaments to expose its players to more competition, reinforcing the pathway from the classroom into provincial basketball.
Source: Chronicle, "Victoria Falls basketball club partners school" · 15 January 2024
Matabeleland North fielded teams in every ball-games discipline, basketball included, for the first time ahead of the NAPH national finals in Bulawayo. Hwange topped the girls' basketball standings and Bubi led the boys, with the province camped at David Livingstone Primary School in Umguza for final preparations.
Source: VicFallsLive, "Mat North ready to shine at NAPH national finals" · 31 July 2024
External sources covering Matabeleland North basketball and its clubs.
Full Matabeleland North Top Teams League standings and MVP
The regional league revival featuring Victoria Falls Panthers
The academy plan and provincial coach-registration policy
Provincial schools ball-games results
Clubs, coaches and schools, share your match reports, scores and photos and we'll feature them here.