Diminutive Ambira High School point-guard and assistant captain Javan Opiyo has landed a scholarship in Italy, according to the school’s basketball coach Patrick Mboya.
The 16-year-old junior international was offered a full scholarship by Novi Piu Campus Piemonte Basketball Academy in Torino. He arrived in Italy on Friday and was expected to be introduced to his teammates yesterday.
Opiyo, who was in Form 3 at Ambira, will be enrolled at Italian Secondary School Istituto Comprensivo Santa Maria for his studies. In 2017, he was part of Kenya’s team that represented the country in the NBA junior tournament in South Africa.
Last year, he helped Ambira High School lift their maiden Nyanza region secondary schools basketball title. At the nationals, Ambira finished third.
This year, Ambira settled for the third place after beating Siaya County rivals Maranda School 55-32 in the third-place play-off.
Ambira High School principal Mark Kogolla described Opiyo as a disciplined and humble boy. “He showed great leadership qualities that saw him named an assistant captain for two years. We are happy as a school,” said Kogolla.
He said the school will miss the player at next year’s championships. “We will definitely miss him because of his character and commitment”
“I’m happy to see a student-athlete mentored to excel in the cocurriculum field. This will open the way for further academic and career development. With his dedication and discipline, he will definitely make it to the top leagues of basketball in the World. I’m so proud to be part of this,” said Mboya.
