Basketball in Africa

When Smarts Olumbo came here in 2007, Falcons were down 1-0 in their three-game semifinals series against UCU Canons.

The experienced Kenyan, probably the most revered basketball coach in this region, engineered a fight-back that helped Falcons beat UCU 2-1.

He went a step further. Falcons fell into a 0-2 hole in the five-game final series with Warriors. Again, they came back, winning three games in a row for a 3-2 series victory. It’s their last title todate.

That Olumbo impact is the kind that Warriors are hoping for in hiring another Kenyan coachRonald Owino, 49, whose knowledge they hope will help them retain their crown. “Owino arrives on 15th October (tomorrow) to join the team. He will watch Warriors against City oil on the 18th as (coach) Samanya Emmanuel manages this game,” Warriors chief executive officer Ivan Ntabazi revealed.                 

Owino, whose CV is littered with titles at both club and national team level in Kenya will replace Samanya who has requested to travel and live with his wife in Italy. In Owino, also a coaches’ trainer, Warriors will feel they have got the right man for the charge as he has won four East and Central Africa Basketball titles for Kenya – three for men and the other women.

“Ronnie will then be the head coach for our first play-off game assisted by Eric Malinga. We couldn’t release Emmy until we had finalized with a replacement which we have,” Ntabazi wrote.

This has been an extremely inconsistent season for Warriors as their 15-6 records manifests