A glance into Kenya’s 2024 basketball season and beyond
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Reading Time: 4min | Sat. 28.12.24. | 17:22
It was a historic year for Kenyan champions Nairobi City Thunder who made BAL
The Kenyan basketball scene will forever remember 2024 as a ground-breaking year as Nairobi City Thunder finally delivered for the country, becoming the first club from Kenya to qualify for the BAL, finishing their campaign with an 8-1 record.
It, however, is also a year that saw the country’s women’s clubs miss out on the continental competition, Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA ) after last year’s silver medalists Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and Equity Bank Hawks faltered in the Zone Five qualifiers.
Here is a recap of 2024;
Thunder stand tall
At the beginning of the 2023/24 season, Nairobi City Thunder made some top-tier signings, welcoming Kenya Morans’ mainstays Ariel Okall, Albert Odero, the reigning league MVP, and Fidel Okoth. Also in the squad were James Mwangi and Kennedy Wachira who have previously featured for the national team.
American tactician, Bradley Ibs took over the team at the same time, leading them to an unbeaten run en route to clinching their maiden national title.
Ibs charges made their debut in the Road to BAL which visited six African cities: Tripoli (Libya), Kibaha (Tanzania), Harare (Zimbabwe), Douala (Cameroon), Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire), and Nairobi (Kenya).
25 teams took part in the 2024 Road to BAL, which witnessed 76 games played from 10 October to 3 December and in the end, Thunder qualified as the best team in the East Division Elite 16 after an 8-1 run.
Ahead of their Road to BAL debut, Thunder unveiled Derrick Ogechi, Tylor Ongwae, and 2022-23 League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Eugene Adera all national team players.
After their qualification to the Elite 16, they added Nigerien star Abdoulaye Harouna and South-Sudan-born Lebanese International Ater James Majok. The duo joined a side that had American-Nigerian guard Uchenna Iroegbu but was missing their best player in the Group Phase played in Kibaha, William Sydney Davis II who went out with an injury in Tanzania.
KPA, Hawks fall short in Zanzibar
For the first time since 2010, no Kenyan team played in the WBLA, previously known as the FIBA Africa Women's Clubs Champions Cup until rebranding last year to AWBL and again ahead of this year's show.
The African competition, held from Friday 6 to Sunday 15 December in Dakar, Senegal saw Ferroviario de Maputo clinch their third title ahead of Egypt’s Al Ahly Sporting Club.
Former Zone Five champions and the reigning continental silver medalist KPA as well as league champions Equity Bank Hawks fell short in the Qualifiers held in Zanzibar, the former finishing fourth to miss out on a wild card that went to Rwandese silver medalist APR.
Victoria Reynolds who suited for Rwanda Energy Group (REG) was the only Kenyan in action in Dakar, her side finishing sixth.
Nairobi hosts inaugural EABCC championship
FIBA Africa Zone Five introduced a new men’s competition for teams that did not qualify for BAL, with Nairobi selected as host, just a week after hosting its first BAL qualifier event, the East Division Elite 16.
Dubbed the East Africa Basketball Championship Cup (EABCC), Burundi’s Remesha claimed the trophy with a hard-fought 81-74 triumph against KPA at Nyayo National Gymnasium as the competition concluded on Sunday 15 December.
Dar City who had former NBA star Thabeet Hasheem on their roster finished second. KPA settled for third place with Equity Dumas, the other Kenyan team in contention finishing last in the six-team event.
Bronze for 3x3 national teams in Africa
The women’s 3X3 basketball team finished in third place at the 2024 African Cup, which was held in Madagascar from November 29 to December 1, relegating the title to Madagascar. The men’s team finished fifth.
Meanwhile, under the tutelage of Zedekiah Otieno the U16 3X3 national team brought home a bronze medal from the youth basketball tournament in Dakar, Senegal, an important step as they set their sights on the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Dakar in 2026. The event symbolized the two-year countdown to the 2026 YOG.
Madina Okot makes dream move
After an agonizingly long wait, teenage sensation Madina Okot joined Mississippi State University, making her debut for the Bulldogs in August with a double-double of 14 points and 17 rebounds.
She has since averaged a double-double with 15.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in the women’s NCAA Division 1 league.
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