07 April 2009
KENYA : After Arusha event, the women basketball is now a cause for concern
In 1994, the Kenya national women's side was the only African team that participated in the World Championships in Australia.
Rather than hit the peak from that outing 15 years ago, the women's game seemed to have plummeted to an all time low- at least going by the latest results posted at international meets.
Flashback: The date is February 2007. The event is the zone 5 All Africa Games qualifiers and the venue is the Amahoro Petit Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.
The team took on and humiliated Rwanda (96-40 and 95-38) in two games with a virtuosos show that left the hosts dazed and earned them admiration from the packets fans.
In September of the same year, Kenya were in Dakar, Senegal for the Africa Feminine Championships. Here, where the team had won silver medal enren route the Australia festival, things became different.
Kenya were bottom in this 12 team competition. Losing all their matches. But KBF chairman Agina Wesonga applauded that performance saying the young team did the country proud.
Remember in their last African championships hosted at the Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani, in 1997, Kenya battled hard and finished in the fourth position.
Exactly two years latter Rwanda again hosted the Africa Nations Cup (ANC) Zone Five qualifiers and the venue is the same but the results are shockingly different.
Rwanda beat Kenya 61-52 and 69-65 suprisingly bagging the only ticket available for the continental festival that is slated for Antananarivo, Madagascar in September. They also lost 53-57 to Uganda.
So what could have happened in two years that Kenya collapsed so dramatically while Rwanda pushes for recognition as a dominant force in the region and Uganda hangs close ?
But by virture of being second, Kenya habour strong hopes of a Fiba Africa wild card. Already South Africa beat Zimbabwe in Zone Six to joined Rwanda and top four finishers from the Dakar show.
Should the team get a wild card and parade together with the other 12 nations in the Indian Ocean island, then there is need for Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) to do things differently this time round if they are to post better results.
Bring on some oversease based players and they are many out there. Assemble the team early for training. Then only shall the team do well and shake the like of African champions Mali, Senegal, Nigeria and Angola.
A proof that Kenyan can no longer boast to be the regional queens was clear during another back to back regional tournament within one month of each other.
And the task is for KBF to do something about the state of the game in the country before it can slid down any further.
I did not attend the qualifiers in Kigali, but from what is being said, nothing right happened there. Losing to Rwanda and Egypt (men) were not least suprising. But going to down to Rwanda and Uganda (women) were unacceptable.
Upon return players complained about almost everything. But their concern were on too many coaches who were not working together as a unit while directing plays from the team bench.
But I did travelled with the Nairobi women's team to the East and Central Africa Inter Cities championships in Arusha, Tanzania and from my observations, women basketball must rise up sooner or perish.
There is absolutely not much one can be proud of. And the challenge is to the coaches who handle the players countrywide. They must rise up above petter politics and start moulding players for the future.
The Nairobi team had Caroline Achieng (Kigali captain), Hilda Inadsi, Anastasia Njeri, Emma Nyakweba and Eleanor Musundi. The same players were also in the Kigali team.
Another eight joined them- Bridgit Nanzala, Rebecca Sarange, Eunice Ouma, Faith Owich, Mildred Achieng, Irene Makori and Angela Luchivya (national team and Arusha captain) .
Nairobi rode to a 30-7 first quarter lead but inexplicably crushed 64-65 to Dar in game one of the three team series- The other was Arusha). They managed only one foul shot late in the pivotal third quarter !
Under a scorching sun, Luchivya efforts bore little fruits, Indasi so hot in the first quarter, could not find the angle there after while Achieng complained aloud of not being given the ball.
In the finals, coach Ben Oluoch had no option but to change the tactics- and it did the trick. Luchivya was the usual driving force from the back court, Achieng saw a lot of the balls (12 points, 12 rebs, six assists ) and many minutes on the courts.
The enterprising Faith Owich was a surprise package, picked only as the 12th player, she battled her way to the starting five in the finals won 53-27 by Nairobi. Hopefully she can only get better from there.
Kenya can soundly beat anyone in the region but where is the consistency ? And where is the leadership on the court ? what happens when Achieng finally retires from international events ?
Is there any player out there now who will step onto the podium and play the five man so tirelessly as Achieng ? And what about the tigerish Luchivya, who does not have many years left either ?
The one man and the five man roles the duo have anchored over the years for Kenya will soon be up for grabs. Who will step up at the national level ? These are questions that beg answers.
Of course there are many players. Look at Nanzala, Emma, Musundi and Yvonne Akinyi, Beryl Amayo ? Don't they have the height but can they be as dominant as "Majeng" ?
As Kenya hope and pray for a wild card to Annatanarivo can the team do better than they are already doing and improve on their last placings in Dakar in 2007 ?
Let all coaches who handle women teams in the league develop dependable players four future national team assignments. This is the challenge I can throw out to them now.
Where will we get another Queen Olumbo, Susan Kariuki, Caroline Omamo, Nasilla Achieng, Catherine Shave etc. etc.
It was no fluke that Kenya took on the best in the Adelaide world championships. It was here that Tom Munyama's girls made so much noise that the door to the USA was flung open. Those were the days.
Dann OWERRE
Rather than hit the peak from that outing 15 years ago, the women's game seemed to have plummeted to an all time low- at least going by the latest results posted at international meets.
Flashback: The date is February 2007. The event is the zone 5 All Africa Games qualifiers and the venue is the Amahoro Petit Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.
The team took on and humiliated Rwanda (96-40 and 95-38) in two games with a virtuosos show that left the hosts dazed and earned them admiration from the packets fans.
In September of the same year, Kenya were in Dakar, Senegal for the Africa Feminine Championships. Here, where the team had won silver medal enren route the Australia festival, things became different.
Kenya were bottom in this 12 team competition. Losing all their matches. But KBF chairman Agina Wesonga applauded that performance saying the young team did the country proud.
Remember in their last African championships hosted at the Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani, in 1997, Kenya battled hard and finished in the fourth position.
Exactly two years latter Rwanda again hosted the Africa Nations Cup (ANC) Zone Five qualifiers and the venue is the same but the results are shockingly different.
Rwanda beat Kenya 61-52 and 69-65 suprisingly bagging the only ticket available for the continental festival that is slated for Antananarivo, Madagascar in September. They also lost 53-57 to Uganda.
So what could have happened in two years that Kenya collapsed so dramatically while Rwanda pushes for recognition as a dominant force in the region and Uganda hangs close ?
But by virture of being second, Kenya habour strong hopes of a Fiba Africa wild card. Already South Africa beat Zimbabwe in Zone Six to joined Rwanda and top four finishers from the Dakar show.
Should the team get a wild card and parade together with the other 12 nations in the Indian Ocean island, then there is need for Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) to do things differently this time round if they are to post better results.
Bring on some oversease based players and they are many out there. Assemble the team early for training. Then only shall the team do well and shake the like of African champions Mali, Senegal, Nigeria and Angola.
A proof that Kenyan can no longer boast to be the regional queens was clear during another back to back regional tournament within one month of each other.
And the task is for KBF to do something about the state of the game in the country before it can slid down any further.
I did not attend the qualifiers in Kigali, but from what is being said, nothing right happened there. Losing to Rwanda and Egypt (men) were not least suprising. But going to down to Rwanda and Uganda (women) were unacceptable.
Upon return players complained about almost everything. But their concern were on too many coaches who were not working together as a unit while directing plays from the team bench.
But I did travelled with the Nairobi women's team to the East and Central Africa Inter Cities championships in Arusha, Tanzania and from my observations, women basketball must rise up sooner or perish.
There is absolutely not much one can be proud of. And the challenge is to the coaches who handle the players countrywide. They must rise up above petter politics and start moulding players for the future.
The Nairobi team had Caroline Achieng (Kigali captain), Hilda Inadsi, Anastasia Njeri, Emma Nyakweba and Eleanor Musundi. The same players were also in the Kigali team.
Another eight joined them- Bridgit Nanzala, Rebecca Sarange, Eunice Ouma, Faith Owich, Mildred Achieng, Irene Makori and Angela Luchivya (national team and Arusha captain) .
Nairobi rode to a 30-7 first quarter lead but inexplicably crushed 64-65 to Dar in game one of the three team series- The other was Arusha). They managed only one foul shot late in the pivotal third quarter !
Under a scorching sun, Luchivya efforts bore little fruits, Indasi so hot in the first quarter, could not find the angle there after while Achieng complained aloud of not being given the ball.
In the finals, coach Ben Oluoch had no option but to change the tactics- and it did the trick. Luchivya was the usual driving force from the back court, Achieng saw a lot of the balls (12 points, 12 rebs, six assists ) and many minutes on the courts.
The enterprising Faith Owich was a surprise package, picked only as the 12th player, she battled her way to the starting five in the finals won 53-27 by Nairobi. Hopefully she can only get better from there.
Kenya can soundly beat anyone in the region but where is the consistency ? And where is the leadership on the court ? what happens when Achieng finally retires from international events ?
Is there any player out there now who will step onto the podium and play the five man so tirelessly as Achieng ? And what about the tigerish Luchivya, who does not have many years left either ?
The one man and the five man roles the duo have anchored over the years for Kenya will soon be up for grabs. Who will step up at the national level ? These are questions that beg answers.
Of course there are many players. Look at Nanzala, Emma, Musundi and Yvonne Akinyi, Beryl Amayo ? Don't they have the height but can they be as dominant as "Majeng" ?
As Kenya hope and pray for a wild card to Annatanarivo can the team do better than they are already doing and improve on their last placings in Dakar in 2007 ?
Let all coaches who handle women teams in the league develop dependable players four future national team assignments. This is the challenge I can throw out to them now.
Where will we get another Queen Olumbo, Susan Kariuki, Caroline Omamo, Nasilla Achieng, Catherine Shave etc. etc.
It was no fluke that Kenya took on the best in the Adelaide world championships. It was here that Tom Munyama's girls made so much noise that the door to the USA was flung open. Those were the days.
Dann OWERRE
# posted by afrbk : 12:22
