The University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) took advantage of a partisan crowd and the tactical ingenuity of coach Emmanuel Essel to qualify from Zone One of the 2015 Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges (UPAC) basketball competition.

“I played the whole competition from the bench and didn’t allow my players to do what they wanted on the court. That’s was my secret for winning this competition,” said coach of UPSA, Emmanuel Essel “.

Emmanuel Essel, former coach of the University of Ghana basketball team, kept screaming instructions from the bench throughout the competition, in order to keep his team playing according to his strategy.

In their first game, UPSA survived a scare from Pentecost University College but rallied to narrowly win by 29-28. 

The home team: UPSA outplayed an inexperienced Ho Polytechnic team with numerous turn overs in the second game. Ho Polytechnic relied on the individual talents of Sedem Tsetsevi, Cliton and Richardson, instead of playing as a single unit against a tactically well drilled UPSA team. 

The last match of the day between UPSA and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) decided who emerge from Zone One to the national competition. Both teams (UPSA and GIMPA) had won their respective first and second matches before they clashed in the last match.

During the final match, the supporters and students of UPSA were on their feats dancing, singing and cheering their team on to successfully complete a ‘host and win’ mission. Every defensive and Offensive play of the UPSA team was cheered as UPSA led by their talisman, Delvin Bayonne out played the star studded GIMPA team by 25-20 points.

“We focussed mainly on the defence and team work,” said Delvin Bayonne, who was adjudged the most outstanding player of the competition.

Unlike the UPSA team, GIMPA’s star players: Kwame Boamah, Mc-Martey and Jake Morrison failed to deliver the much need points especially from the free throw line when it mattered most.

“I don’t know what happened to my team in the final match and their inability to convert free throws, maybe it was the rim or something”, said Clement Adu-Gyamfi , coach of GIMPA.