Ohangwena regional basketball coach Ester Nakathingo said, interest in the sport code is still in its infancy stages and that more should be done to market basketball and make it a preferred sport code. Coach Ester Nakathingo said, in recent years, Basketball has been practiced in less than ten schools in the region - a situation which she believes needs to be addressed urgently. Nakathingo pointed out the need to grow the sport and groom young athletes to form part of the country’s Basketball elite and become able to represent the country at international level. She said , although many learners have an interest in the sport code, a lack of coaches is also a threat to its development. "Basketball like in our region in Ohangwena is not really recognised in most schools and not most parents allow their kids to play the sport but those of them that are willing to learn, the interest is there and it’s just from us and the coaches and the people that can help these kids develop the sport"she added. Allegedly, some parents still have a fear that once their children partake in sport activities they will not make their educational grades. "Sports is very necessary for everyone and we at basketball we try to emphasise to the learners that them being part of the sport is not a reason for them to fail. So the parents should also be well informed that we give them enough time or their studies and it’s not just sports every time" she said. The Ohangwena Basketball team is currently undergoing vigorous training in preparation for the upcoming Namibian Youth Games to be hosted in Windhoek in May.