•Kenya, he revealed, did not lose to the two continental powerhouses in the first window in Kigali, Rwanda because they were strong enough but simply because Morans committed many mistakes in the two matches.
•Senegal and Angola, he observed, have players actively engaged in their leagues while Mozambique started their training after beefing up their roster and changing the technical bench
Morans centre Desmond Owili is convinced Kenya can shake off Africa giants Senegal and Angola in the second window of the FIBA Afro-Basket 2021 qualifiers set for Yaounde, Cameroon.
Kenya, he revealed, did not lose to the two continental powerhouses in the first window in Kigali, Rwanda because they were strong enough but simply because Morans committed many mistakes in the two matches.
With the Australian-based player now fully recovered from an injury he suffered in the November qualifier in Kigali, he is confident of taking care of the two protagonists.
“We lost the two matches not because our opponents were superior but simply because we committed many mistakes, which they capitalised on. These are things we needed to work on going forward,” he explained.
Senegal and Angola, he observed, have players actively engaged in their leagues while Mozambique started their training after beefing up their roster and changing the technical bench.
“Kenya shouldn’t hope to ride on past results. Afro-Basket is the stage, where good performing players get noticed by scouts who come to recruit. We must use that forum and show we can also play,” he said.
The second qualifying round is slated for Cameroon between February 19-21 with Kenya taking on Senegal, Angola and Mozambique in that order.
Unperturbed, Owili remains upbeat about the team’s progress to Africa’s premier basketball festival despite having not started their training early enough. Morans got off their training last week under the team’s assistant coach Sadat Gaya who promised to work hard enough to recover the lost time.
The Cameroon show will determine which three teams from Group ‘B’ will book a ticket to the 30th edition of continental championships. The other round of games will be in Monastir, Tunisia.
“The training this time round has gone on well unlike the other time. For us to make it to Afro-Basket, we know we must win and that is why we must work extremely hard,” he noted.
Owili, who has just signed with Diamond Valley in the Australian League, said he did not travel back after the Kigali games because he wanted to remain behind and work out with his teammates. The 6f 9inch post player said this is his best chance of playing in the Africa’s top showpiece and he is ready to sacrifice all and give it his best shot.
“With this tournament now coming after every four years, it is my last chance as I don’t see myself in the national team in a few years,” admitted the 32-year-old.
Owili was one of the four diaspora-based professionals who battled in the Kigali event with the others being Tyler Ongwae, Ronny Gundo and Ariel Okal. During the qualifiers, he averaged 5.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game before suffering an injury against Angola in the second fixture.