Bullish Equity going for top four at Fiba Africa Championship

Equity Bank have vowed to reach the medal bracket in their first women’s Fiba Africa Clubs Championship.

The nine-day continental club showpiece begins on Friday in Luanda, Angola.

Assistant coach Ben Oluoch said they intended to effectively rotate and utilise the strong bench to make a mark in the tournament.

“Although Equity Bank as a team will be making their debut in the championship, we have exposed players who have featured in the event with other top clubs and will motivate the others for a good show in our first attempt," Oluoch said.

The coach was speaking when he released the final squad of 12 players that will do duty for the bank and country in Angola.

Oluoch said the team had been training hard after gaining their ticket for the championship through the Fiba Africa Zone Five qualifier in Kampala, Uganda.

Equity Bank finished second behind Kenya Ports Authority to attain an automatic qualification.

He said they had retained all the players who did duty in Kampala for the Luanda championship led by experienced shooting guard Hilda Indasi, Samba Mjomba, Mercy Wanyama, Everline “Sande’’ Nora, and Linda Alando.

Others are Belinda Okoth, Sylvia Ongwae, Demise Apondi, Hilda Dante, Joyce Nabwire, Susan Akinyi and Brenda.

Former KPA  guard David Maina is the head coach of the Equity Bank team which was due to fly out of Nairobi early yesterday morning for Luanda via Addis Ababe aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

Other officials in the team are Getrude Nanzala (statistician) and George Omenda (team doctor).

Kenya’s only Fiba international referee Eric Omondi, will acompany the bankers as a match official.

Omondi, qualified as an international referee during the 2014 clinic in Democratic Republic of Congo and has since then officiated in the Nations Cup in South Africa, Zone Five U-16 qualifier in Rwanda, Club Championship final tour in Angola and Afro basketball final in Mauritius.

KPA, who retained the Zone Five Club Championship in Uganda, will also represent Kenya in the Luanda championship.

Equity Bank defeated KPA 3-2 in the best-of-five play-offs final to win their first Premier League title last year.

The top 12 teams representing different Fiba Africa Zones will take part in the Luanda tour to determine the continental club champions.

Equity Bank finished their 18 regular season Premier League matches in second position with 34.