NAIROBI, Kenya, May 24 – Ahead of their debut at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom, both Kenyan 3X3 basketball teams are upbeat of making impression after reporting camp Tuesday.
The team of seven each men and women are sharpening their skills at the Kasarani Indoor arena where they will be in residential camp for seven weeks.
This will be the first time Kenya will be represented in the 3 X3 basketball competition after the being handed a direct qualification as the second top ranked African team.
This format of basketball will be making its first appearance at the Commonwealth Games this year and team Kenya is keen on making a mark.
The women’s team will be relying on the experience of Kenya Women’s basketball captain Melissa Akinyi and influential Natalie Akinyi as well as Jemimah Otieno to lead charges as they seek glory during games slated to begin in July 28 through August 8.
In the corresponding male squad, Faheem Juma, who was part of the team that brought glory to the country during the AfroCan championships in 2019, is in Camp together with Larry Shavanga, Deryl omondi, Gabriel Onyango and David Odanga.
“The first day of training has been good, we’re getting to know each other as a team and from this session it is safe to say we will gel in fast. The coach is a familiar person to the team and therefore we are dealing with someone in whose philosophy we believe,” Shavanga said.
Speaking after the training session coach Tony Ochieng expressed optimism that the team will be prepared in good time.
He further thanked the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) and the government through the Ministry of Sports for making efforts to ensure the teams report to residential camps in good time.
“The team is doing well, at the moment we are in the preparation stage where we have factored different aspects in place to ensure we prepare exhaustively for the seven weeks before the Commonwealth Games,” Ochieng said.
Kenya will be playing against Canada, Sri Lanka, Great Britain, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, New Zealand as well as Australia.
Other teams in camp include hockey, cycling, wheelchair basketball, judo, boxing, weightlifting and powerlifting.