Kenyan basketball 2023 review: KPA, 3x3 ladies scale new heights, Morans disappointment and reasons for optimistic future

Like a house on fire, let's begin by saying this: if you would promise Kenyan basketball fans majority of what came this year at the beginning of 2023, or after my 'look in the mirror' query on our clubs’ successes, many would have snapped your arm off.

Key word: majority.

In this piece, we go coast to coast on the highs and lows of 2023 featuring:

1. KPA maintains stranglehold on the domestic scene: new highs and lows for both parties continentally.

2. 3x3 basketball no longer a craze: how path to 2024 Olympics looks like.

3. Grim reading for Morans and Lionesses.

4. AOB including: Giants of Africa make more inroads, Kenyan coach in NBA Summer League, the legend of Madina Okot, first female KBF Secretary General, Nairobi City Thunder threat and new NBA offices in Kenya.

1.Club basketball

Stop me if you've not heard this before - Kenya Ports Authority for the umpteenth year, swept the men's and women's Kenya Basketball Federation leagues.

While this was expected, not many had Zetech Sparks being the team going against Anthony Ojukwu's squad in the women’s finals - one in which they got swept 3-0.

It was a closer affair in the men's division, as after being drawn back to 1-1 after their series opening win, Sam Kiki's side rallied back to close out a 3-1 finals win over resilient Equity Dumas.

KPA defend women's basketball title after Sparks sweep

Show of might

Now done with the 'obvious', all eyes were on where either side stacked up against the best in Africa, all calls in which the women's side answered.

Having to go through the newly branded Africa Women Basketball League (AWBL) Zone Five qualifiers (essentially the Zone V Championships) KPA were crowned champions after outdueling neighbors Rwanda Energy Group (REG) 87-53 in the early November finals in Kigali.

Winning that tournament secured passage into the AWBL finals a month later in Alexandria, Egypt, but what a touching story for coach Ojukwu to have lifted the regional title.

Ojukwu dedicates title to late mother as KPA reign supreme

Fuelled by point guard Natalie Akinyi and new additions including: Victoria Reynolds, former docker Madina Okot, Morgan Greene, Aminata Samassekou and Antoinette Bannister, KPA went into the inaugural December tournament (previously FIBA Africa Champions Cup), won five games, and became the first ever Kenyan side to reach a continental club championship final - a 103-59 losing effort to hosts Alexandria Sporting Club (ASC).

Also, to mark new heights, it's important to state the only other Kenyan team to reach the podium in an African club competition was Eagle Wings when they settled for third in 2013.

Not in any way shelving them behind, Equity Hawks - who made the Zone Five semis - made the final eight, and were only bounced out of contention by KPA in the tournament quarters.

New lows?

The journey to the Basketball Africa League finals continued to be a disappointing tale for KPA men's side as they this time fell on their first hurdle - the Road to BAL Qualifiers in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in October.

KPA out of BAL as Tanzania's Pazi book Elite 16 slot

Pick your poison on what was more disappointing: watching little known Pazi take up KPA's place in the Elite 16 or the dockers free fall, and not from heady heights!

2. 3x3 basketball fantasy

Or maybe it was the year for the unconventional 3x3 basketball format, one that threatened international space a year ago in Romania and the Commonwealth Games in search of valuable lessons.

Looking back, it is fair to surmise that those teachable moments worked, more so when you relive the closing moments of the Kenyan ladies Africa Cup finals victory over Egypt in Cairo just this month.

Before that, the women’s U23 squad of Madina Okot, Esther Minayo, Mary Lisa Omondi and Mary Ann Nyagaki claimed three stop wins in August's Africa Nations Cup (Northern Conference) in Algeria.

Keep smiling!

The women’s 3x3 basketball side clinched silver in the second edition of the Africa Beach Games in Hammamet, Tunisia, only losing 18-10 to Mali after shocking the hosts in the semifinals.

Africa Beach Games: Kenya's 3x3 team win silver after valiant effort

Fair play to their efforts, and the task ahead will prove crucial as the race for Paris 2024 Olympic Games hots up.

With the Africa Cup win, Evelyn Kedogo's side will play Brazil, Australia, Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Canada and Austria in the FIBA 3x3 UOQT Olympic Qualifying Tournament in May 2024.

More details here:

Africa 3x3 champions land tough opposition in Olympic qualifying tourney

3. No tree-pulling for national team sides

Kenya Lionesses had to rue missed opportunities early in the year as they got knocked out of the run-in for July's FIBA Women’s Afrobasket tournament.

Despite losing only one game, George Mayienga's team saw neighboring Uganda and Egypt finish above them, with attempts to qualify through the 'back door' batted away.

Morans also didn't impress, as from placing second in 2019, Cliff Owuor's side stumbled in the 2023 FIBA AfroCan tournament, finishing sixth, and suffering losses to Tunisia, Morocco and Gabon!

With the 2025 FIBA Afrobasket finals beckoning, Morans will be called back to action in 2024, hoping to make it back to back appearances.

More here:

Morans land defending champions Tunisia in Group E of FIBA AfroBasket Qualifiers

4. Two minute warning

Earlier in the year, Giants of Africa- a not-for-profit organization marking its 20th year in existence, unveiled three new basketball courts in Dagoretti High School, DIWOPA and Umoja 2 as part of a big step in impacting youths and developing the game of basketball in the continent.

Giants of Africa unveil two basketball courts in Dagoretti

In more positive news, Kenyan coach and part of Vikapu Elite Academy's technical bench Zedekiah Otieno was part of 28 basketball coaches from 17 African countries selected to participate in the NBA 2K24 Summer League, where he took his task with the Washington Wizards. Congratulations sir!

Elsewhere, the legend of Madina Okot continued in 2023 as she was in January crowned the most promising girl in the 2022 Sports Personality of the Year (SOYA) Awards.

That's not all.

On the back of being featured among the top 60 African players at the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) camp in Cairo, Egypt in 2022, Okot scaled new heights, being selected to represent Team World against USA U19s in April's 2023 Nike Hoop Summit at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

Sneak in an All Star selection in the recently concluded Africa Women Basketball League.

A star in the making.

Following the resignation of Ambrose Kisoi from his KBF Secretary General position late October citing personal reasons, Angela Luchivya became the first female Secretary General though in an acting capacity, adding more responsibility, and a feather to her cap.

A significant change-up in the Kenyan basketball domestic scene is in the offing bearing the name Nairobi City Thunder, who under new sponsors- Twende Sports - and a massive haul of top players, are causing shivers to the entire association.

A league triumph for only their first time in history could be in the offing. That's what we want.

More here:

Eyes on KBF title as Thunder unveil star-studded squad

To end it on a positive note, the United States National Basketball Association (NBA), through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Sports, Ministry of Education and Kenya Basketball Federation late November announced the opening of NBA offices in Nairobi, and with it, plans to support the development of the sport and implement grassroots programmes to nurture talent in the country.

Only time will tell the impact this holds, but one thing is clear (at least from this piece) that basketball action was plenty in the last 12 months.

Strap on for another ride in 2024.

Happy New Year!