Brave ‘Morans’ vow to spear way to the summit in Africa
Kenya Morans players and coach Liz Mills after their arrival from Yaounde at the Jomo Kenyatta International Aiport on February 24, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Mills said carrying the winning spirit in their training sessions will now be the key to their success in the Afro-basket festival scheduled for August 24 to September 5 in Kigali.
- "How we prepare for the next challenge is critical. The players’ mindset is everything. Angola is a tough team and we know they will bring their “A” game next time we meet, so we'll need to clean up our act because we cannot afford any sloppy mistakes this time," said coach Mills.
The “Morans” feel they are not done yet and have sets sights on spearing their way into African basketball prominence.
The Kenya national basketball team flew back home Wednesday morning with point guard Griffin Ligare throwing down the gauntlet: "We are not satisfied… we just qualified. Our preparation has to go a notch higher because we want to get used to being known as the winning team, making both ourselves and our country proud," he said during a celebratory luncheon at the Carnivore Grounds in Nairobi.
The squad had arrived in the early hours after their FIBA Afro-basket’s final round of qualifiers in Yaounde.
Their historic 74-73 win over African giants and multiple continental champions Angola last week was crowned by Tyler Ongwae’s jump shot with three seconds to the buzzer earning Kenya qualification to the continental finals for the first time in 28 years.
Kenya had been placed in Group ‘B’ alongside Senegal, Angola and Mozambique. They lost 69-51 to Senegal and then fell 77-41 to Mozambique.
The last time Kenya played in the contest was in 1993 where they hosted the competition and finished fourth after losing 90-76 to Senegal in the play-offs.
Besides qualifying for the 2021 Afro-basket contest, the “Morans” have also earned their ticket to the 2023 World Cup qualifiers.
Only seven of the 13 flew back home yesterday with the foreign-based players travelling straight to their bases.
“Morans” coach Elizabeth Mills said the success of the team started from when the federation believed in a female coach, a “bold step” that most federations are afraid of taking.
Mills said carrying the winning spirit in their training sessions will now be the key to their success in the Afro-basket festival scheduled for August 24 to September 5 in Kigali.
"How we prepare for the next challenge is critical. The players’ mindset is everything. Angola is a tough team and we know they will bring their “A” game next time we meet, so we'll need to clean up our act because we cannot afford any sloppy mistakes this time," said coach Mills.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said her ministry will support the team fully in the upcoming continental assignment.
