Young and talented point guard with a bright future, Manu Musemena will be in Ninane on June 1st for the Talento Game. Liège & Basketball goes for a chat with the native from Liège.
(L’article en français est ici).
Manu started basketball when he was 6 in the small club of Union Liège. The matricula 68 has had some talent in his rank, such as William Robeyns. “He has had a huge influence on me because he started in the same club as I did and then was able to go to the Centre de Formation, the Belgian National team and then manage to become a pro in Charleroi and Brussel. He made me believe it was possible and proved me that everything is possible if you work hard” told us the 17 years old who is now playing both for Ostende and Gistel, in TDM1, after four seasons with Liège Basket.
He went to Ostende a couple of years ago. “Because it is where you can get the best formation in Belgium. The organization there is just perfect, all we have to do is focus on basketball and on our improvement” tell the one who lives at the coast, with ten other players, in a house owned by the multiple Belgium championship and cup winner, under the supervision of a coordinator. “Of course, it was not easy to leave my family and friends, but you get used to it. It has helped grown my maturity and helped me to work even harder. And living far from home has taught me to do things by myself”.
Currently in his senior year of high school, the Liège native is making a name for himself on the other side of the tong-border: I’m learning a lot in Gistel under coach Sam Rotsaert, a great coach who believes in us and help us to reach our goals” he insist. “Considering how young our team is (13 players less than 21 years old), it sometimes gets hard during the season but you finished on an honorable 7th spot. We always have to work hard and to show good mentality. It builds our character.”
A needed step for Manu, who describe himself as “a hard-nose defender, bringing energy to the game, and an all-around point-guard”. “I want to go as far as I can in this sport I love”, he says. “Basketball is great. The environment, the atmosphere, the challenges and the teammates are all part of what makes me like this sport so much”.
And future seems bright for the one who worn Belgian national colors for the European Championship in Sofia. “It was an amazing experience that is close to the pro level. As a competitor, it was a great challenge. It gave me the opportunity to compete with the best and to be selected for the final roster was a nice reward.” Manu agrees. “But my best memory on the court is still my last U14 season with Liège Basket. We dominated the entire season, but our only loss of the year came in the final against Mons. I took it as a wake-up call and it still helps me to keep in mind to keep working, to never take anything for granted.”
On June 1st, the explosive point guard will be playing in the Talento Game. “I am very proud of it because I will be playing in Liège in front of the people I am close with. Of course, I hope to win and spend some good time with my former teammates.” the youngster followed by Talento says “Sébastien Cosentino is like an advisor to me. We talk a lot, he helps me evaluate the pros and the cons of various situation, and he also gives a lot of young prospects a good exposure;””
