PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete on Monday had audience with US-based Tanzanian basketball player Hasheem Thabeet and advised the towering 19-year-old to put a lot of effort both in education and sports for his own good.
The president also asked the 7-foot-3-265-pound centre to take advantage of his position as one of USA's best find to concentrate on what he is doing and refrain from engaging in unproductive activities.
"Seriousness, concentration and discipline are the important ingredients to your blossoming career and therefore you must stay focused," he told Thabeet, who is expected to cause a stir in the new US college basketball league season that takes off next month.
He told the boy that his was a golden opportunity that many dream of and therefore he should go all out to exploit his potential with maximum zeal and concentration.
"Excel in class because your career is a fleeting occurrence that can be halted at any time and leave you high and dry if you have no fallback for the future.
"You must also excel in the game because if you succeed in your career you will be able to change both your life and that of your family back home", the President told Thabeet.
Thabeet, born and bled at the Sinza neighbourhood in Dar es Salaam, is on the verge of making a big break on the US basketball scene.
After attending Cypress Community School in Houston, Texas, he joined the University of Connecticut basketball club, famed for unearthing NBA stars, after an impressive debut for his school side.
Thabeet, currently in the top 10 list of rankings in college basketball, initially featured for the Houston Junior Hard Ballers at several first-rate tournaments while attending Cypress.
The 19 year old, who is an alumni of the Makongo High School in Dar es salaam, previously played for UDSM Outsiders and Vijana 'City Bulls'.
His height has made him an overnight superstar and a subject of interest from Louisville and Cincinnati universities and several other colleges before settling for UConn in March, becoming the tallest player in the institution's basketball history.
UConn are counting on Thabeet, who also played for Nairobi's Laiser Hill School, to fill their big man role after two of their dependable players - Hilton Armstrong and Josh Boone - left to try their luck in the NBA draft.
"Thabeet brings great size and athleticism to our front court and is an exclamation point to an already stellar recruiting class," UConn coach Jim Calhoun was quoted by a local newspaper.
"His growth and development in the short time since we have been evaluating him has been phenomenal, and we are very excited about his potential to continue our great legacy of superb shot blockers and rebounders", he added.
Daily News; Wednesday,September 27, 2006 @00:03