Motivation behind DCI's incredible KVF run ahead of tough final

Just over a year since the untimely demise of Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) women's volleyball team head coach Daniel Bor, his prodigy Patrick Sang is on the verge of delivering the team's maiden Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) title. 

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They face a herculean task in powerhouse Kenya Pipeline, but while top place is a dream they carry to the Friday 6 and Saturday 7 June Playoff final matches, Sang's charges have already ticked some boxes they had for the season as part of honouring their departed tactician. 

Former General Service Unit (GSU) libero turned coach, Sang, who took over the side, having been serving as an assistant coach to Bor, as a legacy to his departed boss, has led the Investigators to their first ever playoff final and subsequently, the medal bracket. Since joining the league in 2018, DCI have finished outside the podium. 

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"When Bor left for training, he left the team under my care and it was devastating losing him. I had served under him for three seasons and I had, under such difficult conditions, to get the team together and use that loss for motivation," said Sang. 

"It has been quite the journey to get the team here. We made a few new signings, but the core of Bor's squad remained. Team Manager (TM) Nelly Kilimo has done an incredible job of keeping the players focused. She have walked with them through the grief and our target was to get a medal and honour our coach." 

Sang, whose coaching career took root at GSU when he served as the assistant TM, keeping close to the coaching unit led by Gideon Tarus, says team work and treating each other as family while sticking to volleyball basics has gotten the team to this level. 

"The players had what it takes to win the league and that has been our message to them all season. I incorporated his tactics with mine but mental work has made a huge difference. They come into these matches sparked by self belief. We have also worked on their aggressiveness," the coach, who believes coach Bor is watching over his charges as they go to battle for him, explained. 

Sang admits he was not ready for the limelight, as being a head coach comes with huge responsibility. Having worked under two of the best coaches in the league, Tarus and Bor, he took the challenge and ran with it, and it has expectedly been a learning process. 

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"I was very interested in what coach Tarus was doing while with GSU and he was the first person that put the idea of coaching in me and brought me to his technical bench after my short playing stint. He was involved in my move to DCI too. The two have shaped my coaching career," the former Kenyatta Hospital libero, who joined GSU in 2018 after a four-year break from the sport since leaving the physicians, opened up. 

Winning the league would be a perfect gift for his first cameo as head coach and his mentor, the late Bor.