The only reason Ntuthuko Luthuli ever found basketball was because he walked by a church one day after school. The KwaDabeka Baptist Church team, or “The Clan,” had been practicing, and Ntuthuko could tell that there was something different about the team – it wasn’t just basketball. And after playing that first day back in 201o, he hasn’t looked back since.
Growing up, Ntuthuko was shy. His father was never present in his life, and his mother made sure he was home by 5 pm every night. She didn’t want him out in the streets getting into trouble. He had tried to play soccer for a while, but he had no passion for it, and besides, he wanted to be different.
Coach Lungelo and George Mwaura’s consistent involvement and encouragement motivated Ntuthuko to become a better man and overcome adversity. He recognized the need for change in his community and felt a calling to be part of the transformation.
“You’re doing way more for these guys than you know,” Ntuthuko said. “But for me, I’m just doing what I love.
In 2015, coach Lungelo stepped down from the head coach position of “The Clan,” and as captain of the team, Ntuthuko was next in line for the spot. Despite being around the same age as most of the players, Ntuthuko remembers the transition being easy. The boys respected him, and he felt prepared for it because of George’s mentorship.
Soon after becoming head coach, the team got invited to play in a tournament hosted by Kearsney College. That was a big deal for the team; it showed other communities what the boys were made of, and for Syamthanda Shabalala, known as Mabuti, it changed his life.
Mabuti lives with ten people in a two-bedroom home. His mother is the only one in the family who has a steady income. His mother, Swazi, says that basketball made him different; he started acting differently than the other kids in his community– in a good way. In 2020, Mabuti’s father was shot and killed in front of him; he could have gone down a dark path, but Swazi believes basketball saved him.
Now, Mabuti introduces Ntuthuko as his dad.
“Having coach [Ntuthuko] as a male figure in his life is really helpful,” Swazi said.
One time, Mabuti collapsed during a game. Ntuthuko remembers not fully knowing what was going on or what was happening. That was the first time he realized he really cared about his players– the way a father cares for his sons. Now, Swazi threatens to call Ntuthuko if Mabuti is ever misbehaving at home.
“But now I feel that way about all of [the boys],” Ntuthuko said. “If they are ever bored, they just come to my house.” And since being discovered at the Kearsney College tournament, Mabuti has been invited to Rwanda twice to represent the South African national team.
But the team hasn’t always had it easy. During the first tournaments that Ntuthuko coached, he had to use his own money for transportation. The team has also faced problems with maintaining a consistent coaching staff. And only recently have the parents begun to fully support the team as they see the impact Ntuthuko is trying to create in the community.
Lyn Motswa’s 13-year-old boy, Thabo, plays on “The Clan’s” junior team. As a single mother of three, Lyn is always worried about her kids’ safety. They go to school, play basketball, and stay in at night. But since joining the team, Lyn has seen an improvement in Cebo's behavior. He’s learned the importance of a good education, and he’s becoming more disciplined in his routines.
“We don’t know where our boys would be without Ntuthuko,” Lyn said.
Bonga Sibeko joined the team in grade 10 after being invited to practice. He had lost two of his friends to drug abuse, and he knew that he never wanted to turn to drugs as a way to cope with the hard parts of life.
Gangs are prevalent in KwaDabeka, and young boys that he knows frequently do drugs and drink alcohol. But “The Clan” has given him a way out. Once he started playing basketball, he started succeeding in school, too. He’s learning that hard things will happen, but he still has a good life. He’s thankful for Coach Ntuthuko and the example he has set for the boys.
Ntuthuko is also teaching Bonga how to be a coach himself. After school, he coaches the younger players at Phephile Primary School, using his role to lead by example, keep them off the streets, and motivate them to be confident in their identity.
Ntuthuko believes that he wouldn’t be the coach he is today without the mentorship from George. He wants to test his boys like George tested him. Growing up, Ntuthuko never really took his faith seriously until he heard George’s testimony. Then, at a boys2Men camp in 2015, Ntuthuko decided he wanted to commit his life to Christ.
“I decided I’m just going to give it all to him because I’ve seen what he can do,” Ntuthuko said.
And the Lord has continued to work in Ntuthuko’s life.
In 2019, Ntuthuko had the opportunity to live in the States for three months to grow his coaching skills. Apart from coaching, during his time, he stayed with the Hanson family, where he saw what a real, healthy family dynamic looks like. Through road trips to the mountains, basketball games, and family dinners every night, he saw what it looked like to be a present father and how to be a support system– something he had only ever seen in the movies.
Leaving the Hanson family was one of the hardest things he has ever done, but he brought back everything he learned, and now he implements these values in his team.
Despite everything, Ntuthuko realizes every day there is always something he can work on. Recently, he asked two of his players what they wanted for their future. Neither of them could answer, making him realize he needs to step up and continue to challenge them.
“I just want them to be better than yesterday,” Ntuthuko said.
Ntuthuko is a living testament to the power of consistent mentorship in a young boy's life. And he believes this is only the beginning. He’s grateful for the opportunity to work alongside George at Isiseko Imara and continue to build up strong coaches who will lay the foundation for young boys all over South Africa.
“We aren’t trying to run away from it,” Ntuthuko said. “We are just trying to change it.”