Ambitious Lakeside sign 10 new players

Lakeside are continuing with their preparations for this year’s Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men’s league that is expected to begin once the coronavirus pandemic is contained.

The Kisumu County-based club will be making their third successive season appearance in the men’s top-flight competition after earning promotion in 2017.

Looking to reach the semi-finals of this season’s play-offs, Lakeside have signed 10 players, increasing the team’s strength to 22 players.

In last season’s competition, the team finished eighth and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the play-offs.

Power forward John Wijaas has returned to the club after a two- year stint with former league champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).

The new faces in the team are; former Agoro Sare High School’s forward Timon Oiro, point guard Jeremy Opiyo, formerly of Zetech, forward Eric Gundo, formerly of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

Others are point guards Edmond Ocholla, Jayden Simiyu and Aaron Oyier formerly of KPA, Ulinzi Warriors and Technical University of Kenya respectively and forwards Hillary Otieno and Allan Kibera former of Nebulas and Maseno University forward Allan Kibera.

The team has lost four players – point guard Ricky Omondi, 17, who got a scholarship in the United States of America after featuring in the 17th edition of Basketball without Borders Africa Camp in Dakar, Senegal, last year.

The rest are forward Sandra Arnau, who returned to his motherland, Spain, last year’s captain Willis Ochieng who is nursing an injury and centre forward Dismas Oketch who has left because of work-related issues.

The team has also reorganised the management, as it seeks a better season.

Former player Paddy Agoro being named the new head coach and he will be assisted by former Kenya international Oliver Nyawanda. Former coach George Onasis is the team manager, while the longest serving player Tim Adede joins the management.