CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Kimathi Toboti’s women’s basketball team has been playing catch-up to men’s basketball from the get-go.

As four of Toboti’s players run down a hill near the campus of Cape Peninsula University of Technology — starting their workout even before their allotted gym time begins — the head coach follows behind on the highway, peering through the window of his car.

Cape Town’s famous Table Mountain provides a picturesque backdrop for the athletes, but as clouds roll in, portions of the mountain become almost invisible — a fitting metaphor for women’s sports in South Africa.

“Unlike in the United States, there’s a different mindset here,” Toboti said as his players entered the gym and started dribbling basketballs the length of the court. “The motivation for the players here is quite different.”

With many of Toboti’s players unaware of professional opportunities playing in the WNBA, the U.S. professional league for women, basketball for most here is a means to earn a college scholarship to better their education.