Basketball in Africa

Ex Kenyan national play maker decried the standard of the game in the country and said alot more needs to be done at the Premier League level so that the game can move a notch higher.

Alice Onono, who represented Kenyan in the 1994 World Championships in Australia told Fiba that they are ready to help Kenya basketball grow to greater heights in future.

Onono, who played for KCB Lioness before moving to the USA said in an interview that they are concerned about the dwindling standard of the game and are willing to do anything to restore its past glory.

She said that she has already talked some of the Kenyan players abroad and that they are all too willing to do what it takes including recarpeting some of the courts in Nairobi.

"We are what we are because of basketball.If it wasn't for this game, we would never have left the country for the US.It is for this reason that we are prepared to give something back to the game." she said.

Onono said that the many former players who left the country years back to pursue further education are more than willing to chip in both at the local and international level.

"We can easily organise to sponsor the national team programmes and even have the team come over to the US to train when faced with a continental assignment. " said Onono.

The Philadelphia based ex-international said they follow Kenyan progress in both the All Africa Games in Algeria and the Africa Feminine championships in Senegal and wondered why the results were contrasting.

"The team did so well in Algiers but when they went to Dakar, they were a pale shadow of themselves and were even placed last. This worried us." she said.

Onono, who has been away for 11 years was a member of the national side that proudly represented the country in the World Championships in Adelaide, in 1994.

She says that with much help the Kenyan teams can still go that far.All that needs to be done is to get orgainsed and work hard towards achieving this goal.

"With sponsors, everything is possible." said Onono who wondered why there are only a handful of fans turning up at Nyayo Stadium to watch the game.

She told Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) chairman Agina Wesonga that amonth the fist things she will do upon return to US in a few days is to contact ex players and float the idea to them.

Dann O'WERE