KBF may use break to conform to Fiba calendar
What you need to know:
- KBF is considering taking advantage of the delay to align the local season with the Fiba calendar
- A September start for the league is also dependent on whether the government shall have contained coronavirus, which has kept players away from basketball courts worldwide
- Orero says Kenyan clubs participating in Fiba Africa tournaments will be at an advantage since they will go into tournaments after playing just a handful of league matches
Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) is considering using coronavirus-enforced break to align the local basketball season with the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) calendar.
Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted sports internationally. Locally, the basketball season is yet to tip off, and KBF is considering taking advantage of the delay to align the local season with the Fiba calendar.
KBF treasurer Peter Orero has hinted that this year's National Classic Basketball League might tip off in September should team managers approve the proposal.
A September start for the league is also dependent on whether the government shall have contained coronavirus, which has kept players away from basketball courts worldwide.
According to Orero, the federation has for a long time wanted to adjust the local season to align it with the international calendar but KBF has often met resistance from local clubs, a majority of whose players depend on allowances to survive.
Such clubs have often argued that players can’t go for seven months without playing just to allow the league to start in September instead of March as has been the norm.
PLAYERS' INTEREST
"As a federation, we have been looking at players’ interest first. This has made it very difficult for us to keep the players idle while they wait for us to conform to the international calendar," Orero said, adding that the situation presented by Covid-19 disease offers the federation a perfect chance.
He said KBF Secretary General Vitalis Gode will engage team managers to arrive at a consensus.
"A majority of our players depend on allowances from the league matches for their day to day life. As a federation, we could not just subject them to seven months of suffering as they wait for us to conform to the international calendar. However, coronavirus has presented us with a perfect opportunity to execute the plan now," Orero, who is also the principal of Dagorreti High School in Nairobi, and chairman of Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association, said.
Should the stakeholders give KBF the green light for the league to start in September, Orero says Kenyan clubs participating in Fiba Africa tournaments will be at an advantage since they will go into tournaments after playing just a handful of league matches.
"Under the current system when our league matches tip off in March and conclude in November, we have been sending exhausted teams for the continental matches, thus not posting the desired results," Orero said.
Early October when continental tournaments take place often find when local teams have almost concluded the regular season going into the play-offs, and are totally worn out. A September tip-off will also find when teams have had their budgets approved.
