Tukkies women’s basketball captain Julieta Sevene received a chance of a lifetime when she secured a two year bursary at the Oklahoma State University in the US.
Sevene, who left for the US over the weekend, was scouted by Oklahoma officials who spotted her raw talent.
”Julieta now finds herself in the Mecca of world basketball,” Tuks basketball chair Leana Pool said on Wednesday.
”There she will be coached and play with the best the world has to offer. What a wonderful opportunity. I’m sure she will grab this chance with both hands. She is now in the big league. Julieta has the heart and guts to make it to the top,” Pool enthused.
Sevene immigrated to South Africa from Mozambique without any family at the tender age of 16.
She could not speak a word of English, but managed to find herself a flat and a school.
This is then when she was spotted by SA women’s captain and Tukkies coach Nicki de Villiers.
Sevene, a highly-talented player, was invited to train with the Tukkies in her grade 11 year, and was then awarded a bursary by the University of Pretoria for her basketball skills and excellent academic record. – Sapa