Basketball in Africa

NAIROBI (Fiba Africa U18 championships) - Kenya teams have booked direct tickets to the Fiba Africa U18 championships for boys and girls, it was confirmed yesterday.

This is as a result of regional teams pulling out of the Zone Five qualifiers earlier scheduled for Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium, Nairobi next week.

Vitalis Gode, the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) secretary revealed that Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia have all pulled out of the five day tournament earning Kenya direct tickets in both the categories as the only contestants.

Only Rwanda had indicated that they would send a girls team to the April 28- May 2 championships but they too have now bowed out.

"Rwanda girls was the only side that had indicated they would attend the junior show. Now they too have told us that they are not coming citing a weak team" said Gode.

Gode said that he will today send a list of players to Fiba Africa confirming Kenya's participation to only their second continental show following the maiden appearance in 2008 in Egypt and Tunisia where the girls finished eighth and the boys came out last in a 12 team championships.

The girls tournament, said Gode, will be held in July in Cairo, Egypt while the one for boys will ber in Kigali, Rwanda in August.

The official who is also the Fiba Africa zonal secretary said that the teams, yet to be named, will train for two weeks in a Nairobi school before going back to their respective schools. The selection of the players was done by a panel during the school games at Upper Hill over the weekend and will be released in due course.

"Despite the fact that there is no championship, we will have the players train because we had planned for it anyway. It is only the dates for the girls event that is worrying us but the boys is ok because the schools will be closed." noted Gode.

KBF had named veteran tactician and Fiba Africa coaches instructor Ronny Owino to head the technical bench. The coaches who will handle the teams have not been named but it is clear that those ones handling school teams will be given the he call up.

There was no joy on the hills in Rift Valley and the Coast provinces as Laiser Hills Academy and Shimba Hills who were both defending their Kenya Secondary School Sports basketball national titles got a shock as the festival came to an end over the weekend

Hail the new champions Maseno School and Tigoi Girls. The giants from Nyanza and Western province - who have been at the top before - defied all the odds to topple the giants in the finals and be crowned champions and all this unveiled before a raucous crowd at the Upper Hill school, Nairobi.

Going into the five day school bonanza, Laiser Hills and Shimba Hills were every body's favourites . Rather than coming for the defense of their titles, they had an envious record that terrified their opponents even before the games first whistle was blown. They were the team in every body's lips - others were pretenders to the crown.

Buit when the final whistle sounded- it was ecstacy for Maseno and Tigoi and tears for the losers who have ruled local school scenes for some time. It is a time for change but again there is the East and Central Africa games just round the corner and Laiser Hill and Shimba will be around again !

Maseno nipped Laiser Hills 54-52 in a cliff hanger. This match had the fans rooting that would have gone either way. The winners made their intentions clear from he start racing away top a 19-11 first quarter edge. But were pegged down12-16 in the second.

In a low scoring third, Paul Otula boys hanged on by a low 8-7 difference before falling 15-18 in the last. Ronald Gundo nailed 16 points and MVP Sam Odera was good for another 17. For the losers who battled down from a 10 point hole, Sudi Ulanga 24 posted game high 24 points and Wol Marico added 10.

And Tigoi was too smart for Shimba Hills winning 74-58. They took all but the third quarter going up 14-8 in the first, 17-8 in the second before trailing 20-19 in the third and winding up with a 24-23 edge in the last.

Philip Onyango's long dominance was halted by the Burundian duo of Uinama Ghislane who was good for 20 points and her compatriot Magnifique Ndayiekengumtse who was magnificent for 16 points and MVP honuors. Shimba's Zipporah Khaosa made 24 and Susan Aluoch shot 10.

In the semis, Maseno shut out Friends School Kamusinga 96-72 as Laiesr Hill staged a remarkable rally that saw them dismiss Nairobi International School (NIS) 74-67. In the girls semis, Tigoi rampaged to a 105-41 win over Alliance and Shimba Hills thumped Buru Buru Girls 76-34.

NIS won third place tie with a 89-79 win over Kamusinga while Buru Buru hit Alliance 55-37 to bag the bronze in the girls category.

Dann OWERRE
FIBA Africa