Two basketball teams will be constituted from the just concluded Nyanza basketball tournament sponsored by the Eliud Owalo Foundation.
ICT Cabinet Secretary, Eliud Owalo said the best player from the two-day tournament will form Nyanza’s male and female basketball teams.
Owalo, who presided over the tournament finals ceremony at Kenyatta sports ground in Kisumu on Sunday, said the two Nyanza teams will feature talented players from the region.
Owalo said the teams once constituted will also act as feeder programmes for the national teams such as Lioness and Morans.
“As the foundation, we are focusing on identifying and nurturing talents through fair and competitive tournaments and exposing them to professional teams for sponsorship,” he said.
Owalo announced that the tournament will be held annually to expose more talented players in the region.
“We have talented young players in the region, especially in schools and all the lack is exposure. However, the foundation is committed to addressing this issue,” he said.
The CS said Kenya Sports Academy and Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) were at the tournament to scout the best players.
Besides basketball, Owalo said they are already in the process of registering a football club from the Nyanza region. The team will comprise players who featured in the Eliud Owalo Super Cup last year.
“We are working on the registration and very soon the club will be registered. The team will also play a friendly match with Coast United over the Easter holidays,” he said.
Owalo said the foundation is an agent of necessity to empower the youths in sports to enable them to acquire sponsorships and increase their income. The tournament attracted 26 schools—13 boys and 13 girls— and a total 390 students taking part.
