FOR Ariel Okall, taking to the basketball court in the colours of the Kenya Morans (national team) will carry a special meaning, when they attempt to qualify for next year’s Afrobasket tournament to be hosted by Rwanda.
Firstly, after 27 years of being a basketball afterthought, Kenya will attempt to qualify for the FIBA Afrobasket tournament in Kigali from 24 August – 5 September 2021. Secondly, Okall wants to continue the family legacy of athletes participating at the highest level.
Okall’s father, Elijah Koranga, a former footballer, was part of the Harambee Stars team that participated in the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations. Okall’s journey to matching his father’s feats will begin at the Afrobasket qualifiers, also taking place in Kigali from 25 November – 29 November 2020. Kigali has prepared for the upcoming tournaments, in context of Covid-19 restrictions, by designating a bio-bubble at the Kigali arena.
“I want to compete. My father played in the Africa Cup of Nations with the Kenya football team. So, if we qualify for the Afrobasket, I will be at the same level as my father. If I don’t, he will still have that advantage over me. I want to qualify so badly so that he doesn’t have to brag that he’s the only one in the family that has competed at international level. It’s a matter of destiny. A matter of legacy.” said Okall, who is currently at camp with the team in Nairobi.
The forward believes that this group of Morans players can write their history in Kenyan basketball lore by ending almost three decades of basketball obscurity.
The ultimate goal is to qualify for Rwanda next year. It is the closest we have come to qualifying, after 27 years. We don’t want to take this chance for granted. We always say the Morans are about finishing their food. The coaches have given us everything we need. All that’s left is for us to finish the job,” said the 30-year-old.
Kenya put the African continent on notice after reaching the final of the AfroCan tournament in Mali last year, where they lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite this achievement, Okall maintained that the Morans are underdogs going into the Afrobasket qualifying tournament. He also held the view that they are a closed book to their more esteemed Group B opponents, Senegal, Angola and Mozambique.
“Definitely. We are the underdogs. And in Bamako, Mali we were the underdogs. We play better when we are in that position,” said Okall, who feels the Morans will know what to expect come tip-off time.
“Some of the players, playing in these teams, we look up to them. So, it’s going to be an achievement playing against players we have been watching for so many years,” said Okall who went on to break down what he’ll be expecting from what looks like the group of death.
“From all four teams, it’s going to be a battle size. If you look at the Senegalese, they have a great deal of height in their squad and Angola too. They also have a culture of winning.”
Okall will be familiar with Mozambique as he was part of the Morans team that played them in the four nations tournament held in South Africa in 2015.
“We played against them in the four nations tournament in South Africa and lost to them. They play the same type of basketball as Kenya, but the only advantage they have is they regularly participate in Africa’s biggest stage, so we have to take them seriously. We have to prepare well before we meet them. They have tournament experience, so you can’t take them for granted,” said Okall, who has played basketball in Oman and Seychelles.
The Morans also have the benefit of having the core of the team that participated in AfroCan tournament. While there will be a lot of rusty legs in the team due to inactivity because the global COVID-19 restrictions, Okall believes the continuity will bode well for the Morans.
“The mood in the camp is awesome. The core of the team is still intact. We don’t have to start from square one. We have been together for over two years we know each other well. Things are easy for us. There are three or four guys, who are new to the team,” said Okall.
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“Physically, the impact (of COVID-19 lockdown) is visible because the leagues had shutdown. Guys have been affected in terms of game shape and game awareness. The coaches have worked with us to improve our conditioning. The guys are mentally strong, and in the coming days, we will be at a higher level. The good thing is that all teams competing in the qualifiers have also had their leagues closed because of lockdowns in the respective countries.
“The only positive is that the professional players that will be coming have probably played leagues where basketball was allowed to resume. That will be an X-factor. But for the local players, it’s going to be tough on them,” concluded Okall.
The Morans, named after the famed Maasai tribe warriors will head to these qualifiers knowing they have nothing to lose. They have made a giant leap in African basketball and already sharpened by earlier wins for the test that awaits. Can they in the coming weeks elevate themselves and etch their names in Kenyan basketball lore?
