Alliance Girls’ star to captain U-18 team to Rwanda show

ALLIANCE Girls centre player Mollete Achieng will captain the national side for the Fiba Africa U-18 basketball championships slated for Rwanda this weekend. Coach Philip Onyango while naming his final side for the July 21-22 tourney in Kigali, yesterday said he is optimistic the girls would do well. The bulk of the players are from national champions Shimba Hills.

The 2O players have been cleared by Fiba Africa for the two-day event that will only feature Kenya and the host. Zonal opponents including—Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Sudan and Eritrea—who were expected to be part of the tournament will not take part in the tourney after all. Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) secretary Vitalis Gode said the registration challenges raised by the continental body have now been resolved after many telephone exchanges.

Under Fiba’s new rule, birth certificates acquired during the year 2010 to 2012 are not acceptable for the U-18 players. Kenya had submitted a list of about 20 players. Players: Mollete Achieng (Alliance), Primerose Asura( Shimba), Mariam Athman (Matuga), Irene Achieng (Buru Buru), Esther Samba (Shimba), Mary Atieno (Kisumu), Jemimah Night (Parklands), Brenda Nawiri (Buru Buru), Taudencia Katumbe (Shimba), Christine Ndalo (Shimba), Beryl Awuor and Everlyne Okech (Shimba).