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Rising to the top, Reza Creamer strives for ever greater heights

By Siya Pongco , in Basketball | Featured Basketball | News , at 2024-02-05 Tags:

Reza Creamer in action at AISJ tournament. Photo: Tyler Dendere

Point guard Reza Creamer is rising to basketball stardom in the Gauteng province and capturing the spotlight by making highlight plays with his ball handling and outstanding shooting skills.

Reza, the son of Kenneth Creamer, the CEO of Creamer Media, was born on 13 May 2009. He started playing with balls before he could walk, his dad told SuperSport Schools.

Reza was a keen footballer from the age of six, playing for school teams and for the Wits University Football Club, he added. However, at the age of eight, Reza fell in love with the game of basketball, and it became his number one sport.

His parents, Kenneth Creamer and Faranaaz Veriava are his biggest supporters: “We are very proud of Reza. He works very hard to constantly improve his basketball skills and it is wonderful to see him achieving his dreams,” they said.

“It is a real journey for our family to learn more about the world of basketball, and we continue to meet many interesting people along the way.”

The love of basketball runs deep in Reza’s family, as he has followed in his brother Adams’s footsteps. Adam – who is four years older – and his friends were part of a group of boys who started basketball at The Ridge School, around 2017, under coach Mbulelo Ntshingana, who currently serves as the Club Manager at the Westcliff Eagles Basketball Club in Johannesburg.

Dad Kenneth said Reza got used to playing with his brother Adam and other older boys.

Reza’s passion can be seen through his fighting spirit and a desire to compete at all times. When he was in grade 3, he became a regular starter in the Ridge School first team, alongside boys who were in grade 7.

That extraordinary achievement was recognised when he received a special certificate for his contribution to the first team at a tender age.

Reza has played for the Westcliff Eagles in several tournaments, such as the Junior NBA, in an older age category. He has also won numerous accolades over the past six years, including the Ridge School First Team Leading Scorer Award and Most Influential Player Award in 2022, and the St John’s College u14A Team Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2023.

“Reza is a very committed young basketball player. He combines his talent with a lot of hard work,” coach Nthsingana said. “I have been coaching him since he was eight years old, and he has great potential to go very far with his basketball career.

“I have run a few training sessions with Reza, and I find him to be very talented,” commented Vincent Ntunja, from the Cape Town Tigers. “He is a highly skilled basketball player for his age and if he continues with his current form, I think he has the ability and discipline to play at the highest levels of the game.”

Reza Creamer at the AISJ Basketball Tournament, 2024. Photo: Tyler Dendere

To add to his accomplishments, Reza attended basketball camps at the renowned IMG Academy in Florida in 2022 and 2023.

As a 14-year-old player, he was a key member of the Westcliff Eagles u19 Team that participated in the Grassroots Hoops Tournament in Cape Town in June 2023.

At the recent American International School Johannesburg Tournament, Reza was selected to play in an older age group for the St John’s College U16 Team, which won the tournament by beating ESCA Wanderers 57-41 in the final. Reza contributed 14 points in the win, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

In 2023, he was selected for the u15 Johannesburg Team to play in the OR Tambo Soncinci Tournament. Unfortunately, that clashed with the Inanda Hoops Tournament and he had to give it a skip.

Reza’s dream is to “go as far as I possibly can in the basketball world”.

“I train every day, including shooting practice, ball handling, and fitness and strength training.

“I do my best to balance my schoolwork with my passion for basketball as I think it is important to do my best both academically and on the basketball court,” he said.

Siya Pongco
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.