This archive report was first published on 29 November 2019.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is gearing up for the Fiba Africa Women's Club Champions Cup, which will take place in Cairo, Egypt, from December 9 to 15, 2019. The team, led by coach Mike Opel, has been training intensively at their KPA Hall Makande to fine-tune their skills before the big event.
According to team manager Christopher Magic Ogutu, the team has been improving since 2016, when they finished seventh in the championships held in Maputo, Mozambique. In 2017, they finished sixth in Luanda, Angola, and last year, they finished seventh in Maputo again. Ogutu is confident that the team has a far better squad now and should easily challenge for the trophy.
The team will be led by internationals Hilda Indasi, Natalie Akinyi, and Vilma Awino, who are enjoying the form of their lives. Other national team players in the squad include Becky Nkatha, Debra Atieno, Seline Okumu, Christine Akinyi, and Beryl Aoko. The team's average age is 23 years, making them a youthful and dynamic squad.
Coach Mike Opel has been working on the speed and rotation of the team's press defence, which has become very popular with the players. He aims to perfect this strategy in the upcoming game against Storms before the Cairo event.
KPA will be using this weekend's National Classic Basketball League semi-final game three clash against Storms to fine-tune the squad before coming up with the final travelling squad. The team holds a 2-0 lead in the playoff semis and will take on Storms from 2pm on Saturday. A win will bring an end to the series, but should Storms pull an upset, the teams will play game four on Sunday.
