Gracious Liz Mills calls out fun-loving, underperforming and insecure Morans in exit debacle

Immediate former national men's basketball team head coach Liz Mills has laid into a section of her former players for engaging in unhealthy team politics rather than focusing on training and development to improve their game.

Mills, whose exit from Kenya Morans has divided opinion right down the middle defended her tenure and exit from the team after it emerged that a section of players petitioned Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) to oust her.

The Australian outlined, in an elaborate write up, events preceding her exit and defended her actions while calling out a bunch of entitled players whose sole agenda was to keep their places in the team while not doing enough to earn their positions.

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Here is her full response:

I have spent the last 10 years coaching men’s basketball in Africa. I’ve dedicated this time to the growth and development of the sport and have spoken at length about my respect for the game on the continent, especially to the international basketball community. 

In every article and press conference, I have always proudly acknowledged and spoken highly of Kenya, the players, and the federation, regardless of any issues circulating behind the scenes. 

To compete with the top ranked FIBA teams in Africa, the style and culture of Kenyan basketball needed to evolve. Run and gun amateur tactics and simplistic plays would hinder the team's performance moving into an elite national competition such as AfroBasket. 

Growth and development are challenging and uncomfortable but can be incredibly rewarding if you are open to the process. It is what separates those who can from those who can’t.

Unfortunately, some players were not open to this mindset and it was reflected in their time on the court at AfroBasket, as well as their inability to execute offensive and defensive systems and schemes. Even the greatest players in the world strive to be better. 

A few of the Kenya players simply did not believe they needed to get better. Competition in a team should be healthy but some players went so far as to speak to members of the coaching staff and asked that teammates be dropped because they were worried about their playing time.

These same players also had numerous disciplinary infractions during training camp and at AfroBasket. This included arriving late or missing training and film sessions, as well as being late to depart for games. 

Players were also caught drinking and leaving training camp to attend parties. These players also abused the trust of the coaching staff that had awarded them days off or given them leave to finish work or handle family matters and then these players failed to report to team activities on time or at all. 

Whilst the coaching staff only had limited means to respond to such breaches, the federation was aware of them, but no action was taken. Again, let me stress that I am writing about a specific group of players within the team and their actions do not reflect the behaviour of the other players.

Before I became the head coach of the Morans, Kenya had one of the worst defensive ratings in the AfroBasket qualifiers. At the end of AfroBasket, the team finished with the fifth best defense and also improved its offensive efficiency. 

Kenya was also able to compete and challenge two of the top ranked FIBA teams in Africa, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire (who finished 2nd in the tournament). Kenya not only played at the AfroBasket for the first time in nearly three decades, but also advanced from the Group Phase after a win over Mali. 

Whilst the team’s preparation was not ideal due to numerous issues, the coaching staff believed we did our best to prepare regardless of the challenges faced. 

It is common knowledge that AfroCAN is a tournament designed to assist developing basketball countries. The best teams in Africa do not compete in this tournament as they are preparing for the World Cup which is held during the same period.

It is important to understand the significance of a tournament as well as note that great teams move on from past successes because they are too busy getting better and working towards new goals. 

Regarding my comments about the nature of the team moving forward, the federation had spoken with the coaching staff numerous times about its desire to rebuild around a younger group of players, especially those with international experience. This mandate was reflected in my comments in the press conference after the Nigeria game. 

Upon reflection, these statements were insensitive and poorly worded. Throughout my time with the team I consistently had meetings with individual players to listen to feedback and it is disappointing that players did not want to discuss their feedback with me after AfroBasket.

It is unfortunate that some players feel the need to point fingers and make excuses rather than hold themselves accountable for their lack of court time and poor performance. Being able to self-reflect and analyse is what separates average players from great players.

It is also disappointing that these players felt to the need to air their grievances to newspapers rather than going through appropriate basketball channels. I was not made aware by the captain or this group of players of any issues they had, nor did the federation ever speak to me regarding them. I will not be making any further public statements regarding issues within the team and federation.  

The opportunity to coach Kenya was a great honour and one that I will always treasure. The success of the team can be attributed to everyone involved, past and present. I would also like to thank the fans in Kenya for their support, it was greatly appreciated on a personal and team level. 

That said, after AfroBasket, I had no plans of returning to the team, although I did continue to speak with federation members and some players in the hope of leaving the team in a good position to start its preparation for World Cup qualifiers. Moving forward I wish the team all the best.