Switching from a private to a public learning institution does not occur in every day schooling whether in Zimbabwe or anywhere else for that matter unless the drastic move has been occasioned by dwindling resources on the part of the pupil’s parentage.

Zimbabwe Under-19 basketballer Tichaona Chinyanganya has however put his promising career ahead of prestige by completing the once-in-a-blue-moon shift from Cornway College on the precincts of Harare to Prince Edward School in the heart of the capital.

The tall point-guard told Suburban the sole motivation for his action was to earn a place in the national junior basketball team and maintain it. He has successfully achieved his goal too.

Chinyanganya is now one of the top hoopers in the Zimbabwe youth team and among the star players in the PE Panthers team that is sweating hard to win the Nash Top Schools Basketball finals set for Bulawayo this weekend.

“While I enjoyed my time in Mt Hampden (Cornway’s location) I felt out place as I had always been a city man. I also did not feel my game was going anywhere as we played before small crowds and there was hardly any scout of note at our fixtures,’’ Chinyanganya recounted.

“To me it appeared apparent that I could get quicker recognition if I enrolled at any of the city schools that are always in the spotlight as far as basketball goes. My choice naturally fell on Prince Edward, against whom I had featured in several matches and admired how they conduct their basketball business.’’

The Advanced Level student’s gamble instantly paid off as it took only a training session or two for PE basketball coaches to realize the massive potential that lay in their new player and he was soon drafted into the first team for last year’s PE Day and Night festival.

“He had a great tournament and the coach Andrew Chitauro was very much impressed with his play,’’ chipped in Dudzai Muhomba, Prince Edward sports master.

“It is now quite noticeable that there is someone missing on the few occasions that Chinyanganya is not in the team owing to various factors like homework pressure or his involvement in other sporting disciplines. He has also won selection into the Zimbabwe Under-19 team and we are sure his future in the game is bright,’’ he said.

With the national youth team largely inactive this year, Chinyanganya has had amble time to refocus on his studies and sharpen his basketball skills at practice as he wants to leave PE at the end of this year as a national champion.

“We have a great team and losing is not part of our DNA. We want to prove this at the Top Schools finals and also when we return for the PE Day and Night tournament and also other invitational competitions. I know one of our opponents will be my former school and I also tend to thank them for grooming me by showing them the level I am now playing at,’’ Chinyanganya warns, cheekily.