Kenyan basketball teams shift focus to Youth Olympics, Commonwealth Games

Kenyans over the moon after pulling good results in Algiers

by CHARLENE MALWA

Sports15 August 2025 - 16:33

In Summary

Men's coach Collins Omondi said the team has gained valuable experience from the six-stop series.
He said the next phase will be about sharpening tactics and improving consistency to compete with top-tier sides like Egypt and Algeria

National junior basketball teams will seek to bridge the gap between them and the elites as they shift focus to the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

The men's and women's teams finished third at the FIBA Africa Youth Nations League in Algiers, Algeria, early this month. The six-series tournament, which ran from August 1-7, brought together Algeria, Egypt, Benin, Kenya and Comoros.

Men's coach Tony Ochieng said the players gained valuable experience from the six-series tournament.

The six-stop series featured a one-day tournament at each stage, with countries earning points to determine overall standings.

The five nations in Algiers secured qualification through accumulated points earlier in the season. Kenya had fielded U23 squads at the opening conference in Berlin as part of the strategy to amass points, with stage winners collecting 100 points and bottom-placed sides taking 25.

The ultimate goal is to climb the rankings in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic qualifiers set for 2027. With Commonwealth Games qualification now assured, attention shifts to the World Cup scheduled for September 19–21 in China, where Kenya remains hopeful of securing a wild card as FIBA prepares to release the final list of qualifiers.

Ochieng said the next phase will be about sharpening tactics and improving consistency to compete with top-tier sides like Egypt and Algeria. “We have seen where the gaps are, especially in closing tight games,” he said.

This came after watching his men fall 22-18 to Algeria in the Stop One final and 19-12 to Egypt in the Stop Two. The coach said the Six Stop tour underscored their growing stature on the continental stage.

Kenya showed early intent in Stop One by storming into both finals, the women falling 21–12 to Egypt while the men bowed 22–18 to hosts Algeria after pool stage wins over Benin, 18–9 for the women and 19–11 for the men, setting the tone.

Stop Two saw the men reach another final only to fall 19–12 to Egypt as the women recovered for third with a 21–5 victory over Comoros. Stop Three brought double bronze with the women cruising past Benin 22–6 and the men edging the same team 15–14.

Momentum shifted in Stop Four, where both sides delivered wins, the women edging Algeria 17–15 in a dramatic final as the men overpowered Comoros 19–13 to claim Kenya’s golden double.

Stops Four and Six tested Kenya's depth, yielding more podium finishes, including the women’s 14–8 win over Benin and the men’s 22–16 triumph against Comoros. “Going forward, we want to invest more time in decision-making under pressure and strengthening our bench depth,” said Ochieng.

The women’s side, who also lost the opening final but recovered to claim gold at Stop Four with victory over Algeria, had similar ambitions. Despite missing out on a FIBA U23 3x3 World Cup ticket, the points guarantee Olympic qualification hopes, and the federation plans to maintain momentum with more exposure and camps.

“The target is to stay competitive at the continental level and push for the top two,” Ochieng emphasised. “We can’t afford to relax because Dakar 2026 starts now.”

Ochieng also observed that the bronze ranking is just a stepping stone in their long-term vision of cementing themselves as a force in African 3x3 basketball. Women's captain Joan Achieng stressed the need for early preparation. She said: “We showed resilience in Algiers, but the goal is to turn that into dominance."

"We plan to work on speed and chemistry because we know Egypt and Algeria are not slowing down,” she added.

The performance lifted the country from sixth to third in Africa behind Algeria and Benin, and to position 25 globally. Kenya have currently accumulated 450 points for the men and 460 for the women.

Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Acting President Hilmi Ali praised the team's progress and resilience. “This performance is a statement of intent. Kenyan basketball is on the rise. Our focus is to build on this momentum with structured training camps, more international exposure, and to strengthen our youth pathways. Dakar 2026 is just the beginning.”

NOC-K second deputy president, Nashon Randiek and deputy secretary general, Francis Karugu, officially received the teams on Thursday at NOC-K headquarters.

“These young players have proven they can compete with the best in Africa and the world. NOC-K is committed to giving them the technical, logistical and financial support they need as we prepare for the Commonwealth Games next year and ultimately, the LA 2028 Olympic Games,” the deputy president said.