Corinne Moussi the Revelation of WBNL 2021

The 2021 edition of the Women’s Basketball National League (WBNL) has seen the inclusion of franchises from all nine South African provinces for the first time. Women’s basketball has largely borne the brunt of the stagnation experienced by South African basketball over the last decade and the long awaited expansion of WBNL participants has without a doubt, been the most positive development for South African women’s basketball in recent memory. This assertion is supported by the high level of competition which was displayed during the first round of competition and that will likely pick up, as the league moves into the knockout stages. Nevertheless, although all the action is taking place in Johannesburg, in order to fully appreciate the quality of play that has been exhibited during course of the 2021 WBNL season, we have to transplant ourselves to the heart of the Cape Winelands, a seemingly unlikely starting point for any South African basketball story.

The town of Stellenbosch is where you will probably find Western Cape Mountaineers and Stellenbosch University (Maties) player Corinne Moussi. The Belgium-born, Cameroonian national was without a doubt, the standout performer during the group stage of the WBNL. Despite this being Moussi and her teams inaugural WBNL campaign, the versatile forward, who can also play at the guard position, hasn’t shied away from the limelight, averaging a league high, 22 points per game (ppg), 11 rebounds (rdbs) and 4.5 steals per game (spg) after four matches. Moussi’s performance has significantly contributed to the Mountaineers earning a 4-0 record and has conferred them the status as contenders to win the WBNL title as they head into the semi-finals.

As the aforementioned statistics indicate, Moussi’s individual effort has been stellar. During the game against the KwaZulu Marlins, she put up 35 points, while her 25 point, 16 rebound show against fellow contenders Tshwane Suns. These two performances resulted in victories for the Mountaineers and saw her receive player of the match accolades for both fixtures. It is widely believed that Moussi is currently the leading candidate to receive the league’s most valuable player (MVP) trophy, a claim supported by former South African men’s senior team player and Supersport basketball analyst Lebesa Selepe, who describes Moussi as an “enigma”. Moussi’s performances are indicative of her gradual progression into a feature player in the South African basketball landscape. She was selected as an USSA All Star at the 2018 and 2019 tournaments and judging from her current run of form at the WBNL, it is safe to suggest, Moussi would have replicated these feats if she had played at USSA 2021. Unfortunately, her team Maties pulled out due to health concerns related to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In October, the Full Court Press Power Rankings earmarked Moussi as one of top five international varsity players currently based in South Africa.

An individual familiar with Moussi’s talent is her former Maties head coach Kimathi Toboti, who is currently with the University of Pretoria. Toboti, expressed joy at the overall level of improvement he’s seen in Moussi’s game, highlighting her mid-range, three point shooting and ability to get to the basket and draw fouls as the strong points of her offensive game. Toboti also commended her consistency on defense as well as her rebounding and believes that she will need to build on her 62% free throw shooting for the Mountaineers to stand a better chance of advancing to the finals. On the other hand, while Selepe still considers her the leading MVP candidate, he is of the opinion that Moussi needs to work on her three point shooting, which stands at 20% and that she should do more to create more chances for her teammates, as she averages a minimal 1.3 assists per contest. Looking at game footage, it would be unfair to blame Moussi for her low assist total, as her teammates have blown several easy looks, she was able to provide for them, while the Mountaineers playing with two ball dominant point guards in their rotation, also limits playmaking opportunities.

At this juncture, it would be easy to suggest that Moussi is one of the best female basketball players currently in South Africa. If she is able to maintain or improve her current form and a snag WBNL crown, they would go a long way to support this idea. For Moussi, her recent outings at the WBNL are reflective of her passion for basketball which she considers a “safe space” and an activity which allows her to achieve personal growth beyond the sport. Moreover, while Moussi who holds a masters degree in international law from the University Cape Town and is currently undertaking her PhD in politics at Stellenbosch University, says she would be happy to play basketball at a higher level if the opportunity arose, she is more focused on her academics and potentially pursuing a career with the United Nations or an international justice institution when she graduates.