Road to BAL: Crowd darling Ken Wachira, looking to inspire the next generation

Ken Wachira has been a revelation to many who have not keenly followed Kenyan basketball before the Road to BAL (Basketball Africa League) came to town, but this is a normal day for the former Kenyan league Most Valuable Player (MVP) turning out for Nairobi City Thunder. 

Coach Bradley Ibs has used the 29-year-old in the last quarter as the side won their opening two games in the East Division Elite 16. On the opening day, he grabbed a quick 15 points from a 10-minute spell capping off the hosts’ impressive 102-59 victory over South African representatives MBB. 

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Against Cape Verde's Kriol Star, the shooting guard played for eight minutes, scoring nine, shooting twice from range, one less than he did against MBB, to send the crowd wild with his signature style celebration. 

"It feels good to have the fans in my corner. In six years as a professional, they have watched me work my way to the top and I love rewarding them with a show.

It is a mutual relationship as they live to see me play and I feed off their energy to deliver," Wachira, who had his first stint with Thunder in 2018, told Mozzart Sport. 

Asked what his personal targets for the premier Africa men's club competition are, the 2022 KBF league MVP says he is looking out for the next generation, while also selling himself to the outside world. 

"BAL is the biggest platform in African club basketball and qualifying would be a dream. My aim is to become one of the continent's most sought-after scorers and this is a big opportunity for this.

Additionally, inspiring the next generation of ballers is something I hold close to my heart and seeing how youngsters want to learn from me is a joy," he offered. 

This, however, is not Wachira's first cameo in the Road to BAL. He joined the Kenyan league in 2018, after school in the USA, starting with a short stint for Thunder before switching allegiance to Mombasa. 

Wachira was part of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) squad that played in the qualifiers of the inaugural BAL, in 2019 for BAL 2020 which was held a year later but off-the-court issues denied the then Sammy Kiki-led side a chance to fight for the ticket as they issued a walkover to City Oilers, in the final round of qualification, now Elite 16, and despite winning their next two matches were eliminated in the group stage. 

After leading KPA to the title in 2022, he made a return to the qualifiers but the Kenyan side was, yet again eliminated in the group stage of the Elite 16. Then a key player for the Dockers, Wachira is now coming off the bench in a star-studded Thunder squad. 

"Whenever the coach calls on me I am ready to answer. I believe in making my contribution, helping my team win whenever I am called upon and I am doing exactly that as we strive to qualify for BAL," he concluded. 

In a previous interview with coach Ibs, the tactician referred to Wachira as a game changer, and asked how he would be naming his squad for this assignment given the team's depth.