KPA's strategizing for BAL qualifiers 

 

NAIROBI (Kenya) - They say third time's a charm and Kenyan champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) hope that the saying holds true as they prepare for their third appearance in the Road to BAL.

With the FIBA Africa Zone 5 Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualification process expected to throw off in October, KPA are looking to begin preparations early. 

Coach Sammy Kiki, while speaking to FIBA.basketball, revealed that the team's management is already in talks with several players in efforts to bolster their squad ahead of the competition. 

Sammy Kiki (left)

"From the two editions that we have been to, we have picked valuable lessons that will come in handy. The target is to break the BAL Final jinx. We have twice fallen short, however, the plan is to begin preparations early with the right squad for the arduous task ahead," Kiki told FIBA.basketball. 

At the inaugural edition held in 2019, KPA got their Road to BAL campaign off in style winning all their four matches to finish top. 

They silenced home side Gendamerie Nationale Basketball Club (GNBC) 89-70, Usoni (Comoros) 121-74, Cobra Sports (South Sudan) 81-78 and Beau Vallon Heat (Seychelles) 131-54. 

They earned a ticket to the Elite 16 in Kigali where the Mombasa-based side defeated Ferroviaro de Maputo (Mozambique) 79-67 and Cobra Sports 83-53 but sadly bowed out in the group stage, having missed their opening fixture against City Oilers (Uganda).

In the second edition, Kenya was represented by champions Ulinzi Warriors who sailed through in the Zone Five qualifiers held in Dar es Salaam but failed at the Elite 16 stage in Johannesburg. 

KPA made a return for the 2022 edition, booking an Elite 16 place after beating Djabal Basket Iconi (Comoros) 120-37 before losing 66-60 to hosts Club Omnisports de la Police (COSPN) in the qualifiers held in Antananarivo. 

For the second edition in a row, the Eastern Conference of the Elite 16 was hosted in Johannesburg. KPA found the going tough, finishing their campaign winless. 

In their first match of group A, the dockers went down 72-43 to Burundi's Urunani. Against host Cape Town Tigers, KPA were again on the losing end, falling 96-72. 

The Kenyan side's game against NBA Academy was inconsequential for the BAL qualifiers as the latter were not ranked. Even then, the youngsters won 84-69 to subject the then Antony Ojukwu-coached side to their third defeat in Johannesburg. 

"One of our biggest undoing has been lack of cohesion. We have had the new players joining the squad late in our preparations and that affects team chemistry. We are looking to change that this time round. 

We are already in talks with some Kenyan players who ply their trade elsewhere on the possibility of having them in our squad. With the local league set to begin later this month, we are hoping to use that as part of our preparations too," Kiki added. 

The tactician will rely on league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Eugene Adera and his national team compatriot Job Byron who have been KPA's driving force in dominating the local scene. 

Also expected to add to the team's strength is centre player Frankline 'Mayoti' Omondi whose towering figure has seen the dockers dominate on the paint. 

The experienced Martin Kitong'o and Victor Odendo are also likely to add to the team's depth even as coach Kiki brings in more talent for the task ahead.

Kenya is yet to qualify a team to the prestigious 12-team BAL Final and KPA have their work cut out in the 2024 campaign. 

"We know teams are now more aggressively chasing the ticket as opposed to the inaugural edition so we have to be ready to face the best in the continent and compete for the our opportunity to be among the 12 teams," Kiki concluded. 

FIBA