Sprite slam tour kicks off this weekend

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July 28, 2010 – For the next seven weeks, Kenyan youth will experience action and excitement in various towns in the country as they go head to head during the Sprite Slam Tour.

The Tour is a Coca-Cola East and Central Africa initiative that targets teens and young adults with a passion for basketball. It also allows them to express their individuality. The other objective of the tour is to raise the profile of basketball in the country while at the same time developing young talent from the grass root level.

The tour, which targets both boys and girls kicks off in Kisumu on July 31 and concludes in Nairobi in September. The weekend games will also be played in Eldoret, Mombasa, and Nyeri.

To qualify for a slot in the finals, teams will play off against each other and in each region the best five players will be selected. A team of talent scouts from the Kenya Basketball Federation will be identifying the talent in each region. The regions will then meet in Nairobi for a week long round-robin tournament where a final winner will emerge.

Speaking during the tour’s kickoff, Pamela Mutua, Coca-Cola’s Senior Franchise Brand Manager Kenya, said; “Sprite through the Sprite Slam tour, aims at building long last relationships with its target group which is the youth.”  She added; “the tour will see grassroot basketball develop, and nurture talent that can go on to represent the country in the National basketball team or even play in the NBA circles.”

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During the finals, talent scouting will be done by NBA Star, Hasheem Thabeet, as well as Kenya Basketball Federation representatives. Three players will be chosen to join the All African Star Team, which will then proceed to the USA for a boot camp at the home of NBA.

On the sidelines of the tour will be the Sprite Urban Experience, which will involve rapping and graffiti competitions.

“It is important to recognise that the youth have various skills and Sprite is aware of this. Thus during the tour there will be an opportunity for those with rapping and graffiti skills, to come out and showcase their talent,” says Mutua.

The best in each category in each region will proceed to the national level, where there will be a face-off of talents and the best talent will be awarded.

Sprite is targeting youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are fuelled with self belief, want to charter their own course and believe in a world full of possibilities.

 

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