Atlanta Dream coach backs Okot for starting role after latest win
.jpg)
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 15.07.26. | 16:31
The 21-year-old is so far this seasonaveraging 6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.3 steals per game
Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko has praised Kenyan basketball star Madina Okot for her contribution in the team’s latest 109-92 victory over Los Angeles Sparks at The Gateway Center Arena on Tuesday, 14 July.
Download our Mozzart Sport App for more news
Smesko, speaking post-game, was impressed by the offensive production of the rookie, who came off the bench to register nine points, six rebounds, an assist and a block, all inside just 10 minutes of play.
“I thought Madina offensively did well with her minutes,” Smesko said in response to a question targeting the help provided by Okot and fellow rookie Isobel Borlase.
Since getting drafted by Dream inside the first round earlier this year, 21-year-old Okot has been a full-time presence for Atlanta, and is yet to miss a single game in her first Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) campaign.
Earlier in the year, Smesko delighted in Okot’s raw ability, even predicting that her future in the WNBA would be “really off the charts.”
In the past month, the lanky Kenyan has shown her ability, starting twice in the league, and breaking out to double-digit career-highs.
On Sunday, 12 July, the former Zetech University player recorded her highest tally in the WNBA, scoring a career-high 19 points, to go with a team-high eight rebounds, and a spectacular block in the third quarter against Portland Fire.
.jpg)
With rumbling around the league suggesting her firm place in the starting five, Smesko painted a picture of what to expect going forth, saying: “I am looking forward for her [Madina] to expand her role.”
Up until this point in the season, Okot is averaging 6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.3 steals per game, and it well could be a matter of time before she grows into a regular starting piece for Dream, who stand at 14-10 with two games remaining to the All Star break.