Okoth Keen To Steer Equity After Her MVP Crowning

NAIROBI, Kenya- FIBA Africa Zone V Most Valuable Player (MVP), Belinda Okoth, is ready to lead newly crowned regional champions, Equity Bank Hawks, at the Africa championships in Maputo, Mozambique next month.

The prolific power forward has tipped her side to lift the tournament with good preparations.

“It will be my second time at the continental showpiece. I know the event will be tough, but with good planning we will be capable of stunning giants in the contest,” Okoth told SportPesa News on Wednesday.

“We are going to fight like we did in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to win our first regional trophy. We will grind and push as a team to reach the medal bracket,” she underscored.

Even though the club got baptism by fire in the last edition which was held in Luanda, Angola, last year, Okoth says it was a great learning experience for them.

“I think most of us were making their debut, we were naïve and felt out of place, but the whole experience strengthened us. We learnt a lot. Atleast, we already know what to expect this year in Maputo,” she underlined.

The 31 year old Biomedical Technology graduate believes they should be more offensive this round if they intend to land in the medal bracket or lift the trophy.

At the same time, Okoth cherish the MVP award she received at the National Stadium Indoor Arena in Tanzania on Sunday after her amazing stint at the just concluded FIBA Zone V Clubs Basketball Championships.

She registered a double with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Betty Mathimba added 12 points against rivals, Kenya Ports Authority, to hand Equity a hard fought dominance at this year's edition after amassing a 5-0 unbeaten record.

“I have played basketball for over a decade but has never been an MVP. This is my first ever.

“I feel honored and humbled. This is a great milestone in my life. It shows that my effort in the game is not all in vain.

“I want to thank my team mates because this could not have been possible without their determination,” emphasized Okoth, who also doubles as a center player.

Okoth was introduced to basketball by her teacher, Ronald Omangi, while she was a Form One student at Pangani Girls High School in Nairobi in 2002.

She later led the school to the regional finals in 2005 before joining Maseno University for her under graduate studies.

Role model

Her break through was in 2013 when she was voted the Most Dependable Player at the Zuku Universities Basketball League finals held at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

Among the Kenya Basketball Federation clubs she has featured for includes Mennonites (four years), Co-op Bank (4) and currently Equity Bank Hawks (2).

“My dream is to be a top international player in the Euro leagues, preferably Spain or Italy.

“I’m working hard to ensure the vision materializes,” underscored Okoth whose role model is Nneka Ogwumike of Los Angeles Sparks.

“Ogwumike is such a dominant post player in the Women’s National basketball Association League.

“She is fast, efficient and ruthless at the loop. I do watch a lot of her clips on YouTube where I get to learn a trick or two to up my basketball career,” she accentuated.