NAIROBI (Kenya) - Desmond Owili has fully recovered from an injury he suffered in the First Round of the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers in Kigali in November..

He revealed that he got a clean bill of health from his doctor and he has undergone a rehab and is now fit again.

He is set for the second qualifying round slated for Yaounde, Cameroon between February 17-21.

"AFROBASKET IS THE STAGE WHERE GOOD PERFORMING PLAYERS GET NOTICED BY SCOUTS WHO COME OUT TO RECRUIT. WE MUST USE THAT FORUM AND SHOW WE CAN PLAY."- Desmond Owili

Owili is upbeat about the team's progress to Africa's premier basketball festival but expressed his worry that the team should have started their training earlier.

Kenya assistant coach Sadat Gaya said they will be up and running this week.

Angola (2-1), Kenya (1-2), Mozambique (0-3) and Senegal (3-0) are in Group B of the Qualifiers. The top three teams from the five groups will qualify for the continental showdown as will the best fourth-placed team.

The Cameroon show will determine who moves on to the 30th edition of continental championships. The other round of games will be in Monastir, Tunisia. 

"I am worried about the lost time to start our training for the most crucial round of games coming up next month. We know for us to have a chance, we must win and that is why we will work extra hard," he noted.

Owili who turns out for Kilsyth Cobras 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.

"All is not lost. We are waiting for the coach to give us direction and once this is done, we are ready to work very hard towards achieving this objective," Owili noted.

The 2.05 m (6ft 9in) who is a tower of power on both ends of the floor opened up that his best chance of playing in AfroBasket is now and he is ready to give it his best shot.

"I sure want to go back to Kigali for the AfroBasket because at my age (32) and with the event now coming after every four years, this is my last chance. I don't see myself in the national side in a few years," he admitted. 

Desmond Owili played less than two minutes against Mozambique due to an injury

Owili, one of the four diaspora-based professionals in the Kigali show, disclosed that he was not in his best shape when he arrived home with only a few days to the tournament.

Owili averaged 5.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in the November window of the Qualifiers. 

"Because of jet lag and a few training sessions, I was not at my best. Remaining behind means I will now start early training with the rest of the boys and be at my best when the tournament starts," he said.

He was injured in the team's second game against Angola which Kenya lost 88-62. Still, coach Cliff Owuor named him as a starter in the last fixture against Mozambique but he barely lasted two minutes after tip-off.

"I was in pain and was unable to move as soon as the game started. The coach then pulled me out of the match and I had to sadly watch this crucial duel from the bench," he reflects.

He went on, "I believed in the boys and had no doubt that they would pull through. My replacement Arial Okal played his hearts out after coming in as a substitute. His work ethic was awesome."

Kenya broke through in the last quarter after a fiercely fought battle in the opening three quarters eventually winning the encounter with a 79-62 margin.

Owili is convinced that Kenya has a big chance of sailing through as one of the 16 teams that will parade in Kigali for the festival programmed for August 24 to September 5.

He pointed out that Kenya lost their two opening games to Senegal and Angola because of experience and also due to the fact that Morans made many mistakes in the ties.

"We lost the two matches not because our opponents were superior to us but simply because we committed many mistakes that they capitalized on. These are things we needed to work on going forward," he explained. 

Senegal and Angola, he observed, have players that are actively engaged in their leagues while Mozambique only last week reportedly started training after beefing up their roster and changing the technical bench.

"Kenya should not hope to ride on past results. AfroBasket 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.

His parting shot: "If we train well we will deliver there is no doubt. This was manifested from our results in the [FIBA] AfroCan Qualifiers in Uganda where we even beat Egypt for the first time in our history and the Finals in Mali. We can show this form again."

FIBA