13 October 2008
KENYA : Text Messages Lift Girls' Spirits Ahead of Match
by Philip Onyango
Tunis
The Kenya junior girls' basketball team, whose morale has been highly boosted through text messages by top Government officials, may have an easy passage to the semi-finals if they beat hosts Tunisia in a match which was due to be played on Friday evening at Rades Indoor courts.
Kenya were due to play in the third quarter-final with either Nigeria or Cote d'Ivoire awaiting them in the semi-finals.
Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports, Kabando wa Kabando, boosted the team spirits with a text messages saying the government was extremely proud of the team and offered his personal and government greetings to the team before the quarter finals.
Also wishing the girls well was Commissioner for Sports Gordon Oluoch on telephone from Kenya, and Sports secretary Daniel Maanzo ,whose text message to the team was read by leader of the delegation, who has been doubling as team manager and assistant coach, Peter Orero.
The girls spirits have been lifted further by the Kenyan embassy in Cairo who have offered to take the girls for a day long tour of Cairo on Monday on their way back home in recognition of their relatively good performance here.
Betty Cherwon, first secretary at the embassy who was sent to Tunis by the Kenyan ambassador in Cairo to offer support to the girls said the Kenyans in Tunisia and Egypt have been highly impressed by the teams performance and high level of discipline.
Others who have been sending the team congratulatory messages are KBF chairman Paul Otula.
Kenya, who are making their maiden appearance at this championships, have been improving by every game and are determined to lift the title if their performances against Nigeria, Congo and Mali are anything to go by.
In their last preliminary match against Mali which was a formality after both teams booked their tickets for the quarter finals, the Kenyans who travelled with only ten players fielded a second string side but still led Mali till the second quarter when they ran out of steam to lose the game 71-51 in a tough match.
Kenya beat Nigeria in the preliminary round and would have little problem beating them if they meet again in the semi finals especially now that star guard Helen Oketch, who missed the game due to injury has now fully recovered and taken back her first team place.
On the local scene, national basketball league champions Kenya Commercial Bank Lions will lock horns with Co-operative Bank in their crucial last match of the second leg at the Nairobi's Nyayo Stadium on Saturday at 4pm.
KCB Lions, will be seeking to enter the history books for having ended the regular season without a loss. Lions lead the 10-team table standings with 32 points from 17 consecutive wins.
However, their tie against Tigers of the United States International University was abandoned with two minutes 32 seconds left when KCB Lions were leading 54-47.
Additional reporting by Caxton Apollo
Tunis
The Kenya junior girls' basketball team, whose morale has been highly boosted through text messages by top Government officials, may have an easy passage to the semi-finals if they beat hosts Tunisia in a match which was due to be played on Friday evening at Rades Indoor courts.
Kenya were due to play in the third quarter-final with either Nigeria or Cote d'Ivoire awaiting them in the semi-finals.
Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports, Kabando wa Kabando, boosted the team spirits with a text messages saying the government was extremely proud of the team and offered his personal and government greetings to the team before the quarter finals.
Also wishing the girls well was Commissioner for Sports Gordon Oluoch on telephone from Kenya, and Sports secretary Daniel Maanzo ,whose text message to the team was read by leader of the delegation, who has been doubling as team manager and assistant coach, Peter Orero.
The girls spirits have been lifted further by the Kenyan embassy in Cairo who have offered to take the girls for a day long tour of Cairo on Monday on their way back home in recognition of their relatively good performance here.
Betty Cherwon, first secretary at the embassy who was sent to Tunis by the Kenyan ambassador in Cairo to offer support to the girls said the Kenyans in Tunisia and Egypt have been highly impressed by the teams performance and high level of discipline.
Others who have been sending the team congratulatory messages are KBF chairman Paul Otula.
Kenya, who are making their maiden appearance at this championships, have been improving by every game and are determined to lift the title if their performances against Nigeria, Congo and Mali are anything to go by.
In their last preliminary match against Mali which was a formality after both teams booked their tickets for the quarter finals, the Kenyans who travelled with only ten players fielded a second string side but still led Mali till the second quarter when they ran out of steam to lose the game 71-51 in a tough match.
Kenya beat Nigeria in the preliminary round and would have little problem beating them if they meet again in the semi finals especially now that star guard Helen Oketch, who missed the game due to injury has now fully recovered and taken back her first team place.
On the local scene, national basketball league champions Kenya Commercial Bank Lions will lock horns with Co-operative Bank in their crucial last match of the second leg at the Nairobi's Nyayo Stadium on Saturday at 4pm.
KCB Lions, will be seeking to enter the history books for having ended the regular season without a loss. Lions lead the 10-team table standings with 32 points from 17 consecutive wins.
However, their tie against Tigers of the United States International University was abandoned with two minutes 32 seconds left when KCB Lions were leading 54-47.
Additional reporting by Caxton Apollo
# posted by afrbk : 15:31
