Ojukwu still waiting to conquer Africa

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) long-serving coach Anthony Ojukwu remains a success at the local front having guided the team to 13 national league titles and many other crowns.

But while he has also propelled the dock women to record appearances in the Fiba Africa women’s Club championships, there has been little success to show on the continental front as they have been vanquished in every appearance.

Ojukwu has experienced lows and learnt some hard lessons from the continental podium over the years as well. But in all this and with the much needed experience, he believes KPA should be dinning with the queens of Africa basketball.

In all the Africa Championships they have featured, KPA have failed to make a podium finish. This is an issue of concern to Ojukwu considering that Eagle Wings, a self supporting club, bagged bronze medal in 2013 in Meknes, Morocco in their fourth meeting.

So why has it always been difficult for KPA to break this ice despite having some of the best players in the country and institutional support?

Ojukwu observes that with good preparations and planning, KPA will soon make themselves a name by shaking off the best in Africa including clubs in Angola, Senegal, Mozambique, Mali and Nigeria among others.

To achieve this, he believes, there is need to change the timing of the league since Kenyan teams go for these championship deep into the season when players are worn out as compared to their opponents. He admits that they also need to work extra hard to post good performances.

“It is very unfortunate, that most of the time we go for these championships, our league is still in progress and the players are fatigued. This is around the time when the pressure of winning their play off games is too much,” he said.

Ojukwu pointed out: “ Other countries come to the Africa Championships still fresh, having finished their domestic leagues early. They are also not fatigued and have no pressure at all. For us to beat them, we must work hard on every aspect to succeed.”

KPA’s run in the rough and tumble of the African basketball started in 1993 when they were pitted against Angolan side, Deportivo de Nocal. The Kenyan champions were bundled out in the two legs.

There next outing was against Mozambican side, Academica Maputo in 1999. They lost away but battled hard at home to force a 123-123 aggregate score in the two ties before winning 130-129 in overtime in Nairobi to progress to the next round.

In 2005, they were placed fourth in a six-team inaugural World women’s League preliminary round qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal.

The trip to Libreville, Gabon came in 2006 and despite finishing 10th in the tournament, four of their players were voted best performers in that event with USA-based Gladys Wanyama having an all-round display.

She was superb throughout the show, placing first in offensive rebounds, top in steals, best in two points field goal, fifth in overall points, fifth in rebounds and eighth in blocked shots.

Other players, whose performance were worth mentioning in the 12-team West Africa outing, were Miriam Obwong, Millicent Anyango and Ethel Wakesho. KPA ended up ninth.

In 2009, KPA travelled to Benin, where they were placed eighth as the continental hunting ground became even more tight. They moved to Nigeria the following year but again with nothing to honk about.

They played in Maputo, Mozambique in 2007 and wound up eighth. They finished in similar position again when Nairobi hosted the event in 2008 and in their last outing in Angola in 2017, they finished in fifth.

Ojukwu, one of the most visible players to come from the coastal region, says he is not done yet with the continental competitions. After sitting out last year due to what he termed as ‘pressure of work’ he is coming back stronger.

His team has dominated both the league and the regional championships. What is left is to make himself a name in the continent tournaments. He is changing tack and he believes the time to do it is now.

Ojukwu was born in 1970 in Mombasa to late Matthew Oloo and Benter Oloo. He is a third born in a family of five sisters and four brothers and started playing basketball at a young age while at Makupa Primary School.

“Our house was a stone throw away from Makupa Primary courts so I got interested in the game by watching two of the top teams—Kenya Cargo and Transcom— training at the venue,” he said.

He adds, “Everyday, I was always with them as they went through their daily training. After every session, my immediate duty was to ensure that all the balls and other training materials are safely taken to our house for keeps in readiness for tomorrow.”

Among the players, who inspired young Ojukwu and encouraged him to shoot around were Philip Yugi, one of the finest players who also coached the national team. The other was Sammy Wanjohi, a Fiba Africa Commissioner and Geoffrey “Gus” Shikuku.

He joined Form One at Kwale High in 1987 and despite the school having strong team, they still could not match the talent at Mombasa Baptist High School, who reigned supreme in the province. They were led by Sammy Kiki (KPA men’s coach).

“We lost to Baptist school for three years in a row during the Coast Secondary School Championship finals. We, however, managed to beat them in 1990 in Kisumu to claim the national title,” Ojukwu reflected, adding that the team also had Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.

After closely following his exploits while at Kwale, KPA then approached the youngster and asked him to join the team. Though still a student, Ojukwu obliged and registered as a player in1988, sparking a rapid rise.

“My first game was the Barclays Bank Open tournament in Ruaraka, Nairobi that same year. From then, I became a regular in the team though I was not getting enough play time because I was among the youngest players in the team,” he revealed.

Upon completion of his secondary education in 1990, he joined the ports team on full time a year later after brushing off other offers from two of the nation’s top guns—KCB Lions and Posta.

“He got his place in the team soon after joining us, coming in for Lawi (Odera) and Okutoyi (Mbulishe). He is a team player and had an above average performance,” said Philip Yugi, a former KPA stalwart who also handled national team in 1993 Fiba Afro-basket Championship in Nairobi.

“He started showing leadership qualities early and would always remain behind to train with the ladies after the men had left. He had a deep drive to achieve after his days at Kwale—a team he single-handedly led. He is resilient and always bounces back after each lost season,” Yugi added.

In 1991, Ojukwu won his first league title with KPA—four years after the team grabbed the inaugural league crown. The following year, they did it again.

As a player, Ojukwu was among the squad that travelled to Cairo, Egypt for the Fiba Africa Club Championships in 1992. KPA would go on to win the national titles in 1993 and 1994.

Ojukwu was a member of the Kenya team that battled the continent’s best during the Fiba Afro-basket show at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in 1993. Kenya finished fourth behind winners Angola, Egypt and Senegal and this remains their best position ever. In 1996, he again made the national team for the All Africa Games qualifier in Egypt.

Shikuku, a former team-mate at KPA is one of the players who saw him rise from a junior through the ranks to a dependable star a few years later.

“Ojukwu developed his interest in the game because he was born and raised at Makupa Primary. Naturally, he developed a liking for the game because it was the only past-time for kids. He was gifted in ball-handling and could not wilt under pressure,” recalls Sikuku.

“As a good point guard, he always had a complete floor vision, hence helping team-mates to make easy baskets.

“As far as coaching is concerned, he is very good at preparing his team depending on the opposition. He understands his team’s strength and weaknesses and has ability to read the game and instruct his players accordingly,” he added.

Ojukwu plunged into coaching early. “It happened faster than he thought following the death of women’s team coach Harry Maina in a road accident on his way back to the coastal town after a league match in Nairobi in 1996,” he revealed.

“It was not a planned move. I went for my daily trainings early after work and as a routine, the ladies were already on the court waiting for coach Wanjohi to report. I slowly guided the girls as they waited,” he said.

Ojukwu soon gained confidence and found himself fully running the team in 1997 after Wanjohi left for Germany. The team was doing well on the local front and loved every bit despite being an active player in the men’s side.

He juggled his time between the two teams well and got off to a dream start, winning three titles in a row between 1997-99 before Telkom interrupted that run in 2000 and 2001. Earlier, Maina had won it in 1992, 94 and 95. From that point, Ojukwu knew that is where his future lied.

He played his last game for the men’s side in 2002 during the Africa men’s Club Championships in Luanda, Angola. He then called it a day and started concentrating on coaching the women’s side full time.

During his watch, KPA have ruthlessly dominated the Fiba Africa Zone 5 women’s Club championship,  winning the regional show eight times in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Between 2002 and 2005, the team was unstoppable, tormenting opponents at will and became the only side to bag four national league titles in a row. They recruited well and were on a roll.

“What made this run even sweeter was the fact that for two years during this period, we won the league without losing a single game to any of our opponents,” Ojukwu beamed.

He, however, maintains that 2017 was by far his best year as a coach, guiding KPA to a league title with another clean run. They also had a memorably solid showing in the club championship.

Despite being fully with the women’s side, Ojukwu is at times called upon to help the men’s team. His most memorable feat came in 2014 when he guided KPA to their most cherished title after a 23-year drought. He did it in 2016 again.

Last year, he was on the men’s team bench again during the newly introduced Basketball Africa League (BAL) in Kigali, Rwanda. They arrived late, missed one game and unfortunately failed to make it to the next round without losing a game.

Many players have passed through Ojukwu’s hands and four of them led by late Susan Agoya, Agnes Anyango, Gladys Wanyama and Miriam Obwong have played for the national team. This, he said, made him a proud coach.

Ojukwu, who holds Fiba Africa coaching certificates, also had stints with the national women’s side. He coached the Kenya women’s team in the Fiba Afro-basket in Senegal in 2007, Kigali in 2011 before his last assignment in Kampala, Uganda with the men’s side in 2014.

His brothers George Omondi and Paul Oloo are also basketballers of repute and played for premier league sides Ulinzi Warriors and KCB Lions respectively. He is a family man with two daughters, Serena and Vanessa.

Ojukwu sounded a warning he is back with so much energy after missing out last year. Work on the team roster was ongoing before coronavirus pandemic halted the sporting activities. His immediate task is to claim the national title from Equity Bank Hawks.