Equity Eye To Conquer Africa After FIBA Zone V Victory
9th October 2018
Bankers beat defending champions KPA 70-54 to win their maiden regional title in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania on Sunday
- Newly crowned FIBA Africa Zone V Women Club Basketball champions, Equity Bank Hawks, have shifted focus on continental championship in Maputo, Mozambique in November where head coach, David Maina, is aiming to reach the medal bracket
- Head coach, David Maina, says he has 10 dependable players who are capable of delivering the African title at home
- Clubs that Equity overcame to lift the coveted East and Central Africa trophy in their second attendance are Uganda Christian University, APR of Rwanda, hosts Jeshi La Kujenga Taifa and Wolkite of Ethiopia
- Team captain, Joyce Nabwire, has called for early residential training before they depart to Maputo saying this was the secret to their unbeaten run in Tanzania
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania- Newly crowned FIBA Africa Zone V Women Club Basketball champions, Equity Bank Hawks, have shifted focus to the continental championship in Maputo, Mozambique in November where head coach, David Maina, is aiming to reach the medal bracket.
The tactician said they would be a force to reckon with at the Africa showpiece where they will be making their second appearance after finishing at the bottom of the table last year in Luanda, Angola.
“We learnt a lot of lessons in our debut last year where we only won one game; we went back to the drawing board to rectify our mistakes.
“I believe the plan has started to pay off after we won our maiden Africa Zone V Club Championships trophy at the National Indoor Arena in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Sunday,” Maina told SportPesa News on Tuesday.
The former Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and national team player said he had only one dependable player, Mercy Wanyama, last season but has since done proper recruitment that has brought in 10 reliable charges.
Wanyama, the sister to Tottenham Hotspur and Harambee Stars captain and defensive midfielder, Victor, has since left Equity for greener pastures at another Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) side, Storms.
“Even though we lost her, our scouts have managed to bring key players, among them Betty Kananu and Seline Okumu who we signed from KPA this season.
MVP award
“Kananu and Betty were instrumental in our victory in Dar es Salaam, they are expected to carry on with same roles in Maputo later in the year,” Maina underscored.
“Kananu is a great utility player while Okumu is an excellent shooting guard. We have also signed Ritah Oluoch from Kenyatta University.
“Oluoch is a good listener who is young and very ambitious. I contracted her because of her amazing blocking skills which I believe we will need in Mozambique,” he highlighted.
The coach
praised his charges for overcoming regional defending champions, KPA, 70-54 in
a tough final in Tanzania after taking a 43-26 lead at half time.
Among other clubs that Equity overcame to lift the coveted East and Central Africa trophy in their second attendance are Uganda Christian University, APR of Rwanda, hosts Jeshi La Kujenga Taifa and Wolkite of Ethiopia.
Belinda Okoth won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after bagging 12 points and 11 rebounds in their clash with KPA while 2016 MVP, Okumu, emerged best shooting guard.
“Our decision to change tactics from what we usually do is what made us unpredictable in the competition. We decided to bolster our defence and work on our counter attacking and this paid off in all our games,” Okoth emphasised.
Team captain, Joyce Nabwire, has called for early residential training before they depart to Maputo saying this was the secret to their unbeaten run in Tanzania.