She gave me the wrong contact, Okot's former coach

Renowned Kenyan basketball coach Philip Onyango has recounted his first meeting with Madina Okot while celebrating her draft selection into the Women's National Basketball Association.

Onyango is a veteran basketball coach known for coaching top women's teams and developing players, including Madina Okot and Felmas Adhiambo Koranga.

While addressing a local media house, Onyango celebrated Okot's successful entry into the WNBA and boasted of her being his second product to ever play in the elite league.

Onyango narrated his first time meeting Okot at a sports event at the Hill School in Eldoret in 2018. He revealed that Okot was then a volleyball player.

The coach humorously recalled how she gave him a wrong number after he approached her, wanting to mentor her into basketball.

"I tried to get the girl's contact, but she dodged me and gave me the wrong numbers that could not go through," he said.

Onyango recounted that he tried to obtain her parent's number but could not find them. He, however, met Okot again during a national sports event in Kisumu as she played for her volleyball team.

He recounted how he persistently sought her and finally convinced her to give him her parents' number.

"I followed her once more at Kisumu Girls' village games and convinced her to give me the parents' number," Onyango said.

Onyango said by telling her father about his track record of helping his players obtain basketball scholarships in the United States, he persuaded her father to admit Okot into Kaya Tiwi High School.

"I convinced the father that I have over 30 players who are in America on basketball scholarships since I started coaching," Onyango said.

Onyango said his move to mentor Okot was met with opposition from the volleyball fraternity, which objected to her transfer to basketball.

He noted that Kenya Volleyball Federation Vice President Paul Bitok, who was then the Kenya Volleyball senior coach, supported the transfer.

"Bitok went to their volleyball WhatsApp group and told the volleyballer that if Medina has joined Kaya Tiwi under Philip Onyango, the girl is in safe hands," Onyango said.