Kenyan youth to start training for basketball tourney

Kenya has selected 36  boys and girls to start training for 2018 Fiba Africa Zone Five Under-18 basketball championship which will take place in Dar es Salaam.

The players, a majority of whom were selected during the just-concluded secondary schools national Term Two Games in Embu County, are expected to start non-residential training ahead of the championship which will tip off on June 17.

Kenya Basketball Federation Secretary General Vitalis Gode on Tuesday said the youth will start training on their own as they wait to report for residential training camp next month.

“We will be taking part both in Five-on-Five and Three-on-Three versions of the tournament and I expect our team members to start individual training early before we call them to camp,” Gode said.

While Kenya has dominated the Under-18 competitions, particularly the girls’ category, Rwanda and Uganda have been the teams to beat in the men’s category.

The 3-on-3 version of the event, Gode said, will be the first one of its kind in the region and is expected to be an evenly-contested affair between Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda who are the favourites in both categories.

According to Gode, who is also Fiba Zone Five Secretary General, the week-long event was set to start early in June  but has had to be pushed  forward  by a week due to the holy month of Ramadhan.

“Fiba pushed forward the event to give Muslims time during this holy month of Ramadhan but we are certain to start immediately afterwards,” Gode said. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Somlia will compete in the event.