Kenyan basketball teams eye African Games
Kenya national women’s basketball team players (from left) Felmas Adhiambo Koranga, Melisa Akinyi, Clara Rotich, Rose Ouma, Debra Atieno and Seline Okumu arrive at their Nobs Villa Hotel Ntinda in Kampala on June 25, 2019 for the African Games qualifiers. PHOTO | PHILIP ONYANGO |
What you need to know:
- The Kenyan men's team will be expecting stiff challenge from Uganda’s “Silver Bucks”, who have brought in two professionals, among them former NBA star Brandon Davies now at Zalgiris Lithuania and Deng Get John of North Dakota College in USA, Kenyan women will also have to closely check on Uganda’s “Baptist Gazzelles.”
IN KAMPALA, UGANDA
Siblings Airal Okal Koranga and Felmas Adhiambo Koranga are expected to be deeply involved in the opening matches Wednesday as Kenya seeks to make a return to the African Games to be held in Morocco in August.
The 23-year-old Adhiambo, a forward who just completed her first year at Tyler Junior College in Texas, USA, graduated from Shimba Hills Secondary School in 2014 while her elder brother, Okal, a small forward who has just re-joined the Kenya Ports Authority men’s team after a professional stint in Doha.
The women's team also has gifted point guard Rose Ouma, formerly of Wayland College in the US, but now based in Dubai, power forward Mercy Wanyama, a younger sister of Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama, now playing professional basketball in Spain, and centre Vilma Achieng, who just joined Kenya Ports Authority after a professional stint in Seychelles.
Also expected to perform well is the men's team under coach Cliff Owuor.
Power forward Demond Owili (Australia) has played in Uganda before when he was a student at Uganda Christian University and should team up well with Denmark-based shooting guard Tyler Okari and US-based Bush Wamukota, the son of Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama.
The Kenyan men's team will be expecting stiff challenge from Uganda’s “Silver Bucks”, who have brought in two professionals, among them former NBA star Brandon Davies now at Zalgiris Lithuania and Deng Get John of North Dakota College in USA, Kenyan women will also have to closely check on Uganda’s “Baptist Gazzelles.”
