Ongwae a doubt for Moran’s trip to Cameroon

Bakken Bears and Kenya Morans forward Tylor Ongwae could be unavailable for the national team’s trip to Cameroon where the Liz Mills and Sadat Gaya coached side will be chasing a ticket to the biennial Afrobasket Championship due to injury.

Ongwae has been an integral part of the Morans squad and was instrumental in helping the team clinch their first Zone Five championship title, where he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP), to book a ticket to the inaugural Afro-CAN championship in Bamako, Mali.

The 29-year old helped Kenya bag silver at the Afro-CAN as he picked the top-scorer gong. Morans beat Nigeria but lost to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the group stages. They went on to defeat Ivory Coast and Tunisia to book a date with DRC in the final where they lost 82-61. Ongwae and Tom 'Bush' Wamukota made it to the team of the tournament. 

He was injured in the first minutes of Bakken Bears’ 119-92 win against hosts Horsens IC in Denmark's top-tier basketball league on January 31 and missed Bears’ 96-76 win against Preston Bungei’s (another Morans player) Randers Cimbria in the Denmark Cup semi-final on February 6.

“For now I am recovering from that injury and the possibility of being ready on time to travel for the Afrobasket assignment is still being determined. For now, it is a 50-50 chance,” Ongwae confirmed.

Coach Gaya and Mills will need a plan B for a ‘go-to’ person as Ongwae has been that player for Morans. He was the top scorer in all three matches of the November window against Angola, Senegal and Mozambique despite admitting that he was not playing at his best.