KSSSA Games: Dagoretti High target East Africa slot in basketball

Head coach Hassan Kibagendi is confident his side Dagoretti High have the experience it takes to beat their peers and book a place to the East Africa School Games set for Arusha, Tanzania. 

The Nairobi region champions head to the Kenya Secondary School Sport Association (KSSSA) national games that throw off on 9 September in Nakuru County as one of the favourites galloping their performance in the last championship held in 2019  

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Dagoretti made their debut at the national games in 2019, going all the way to the final where they lost to Laiser Hill in the final but had already gained qualification to the East African event that also held in Arusha. 

"The players that were part of the 2019 group barely got any experience in that championship as they were in form one. We have, however, worked on a new team and despite the lack of action at the school level, they have kept busy in the Nairobi Basketball Association (NBA) league. 

That experience will go along way in helping us fight for another shot at national and regional glory," offered the tactician. 

The side faced little competition in the sub county and regional level with the closest competitors Eastleigh High and Jamhuri High bowing to their superiority at the regional semis and final respectively. 

"We know each region has a worthy representative so we will be keen to take the championship one match at a time and unsure no complacency. Laiser Hill remain one of our biggest challengers. 

We have played the Rift Valley champions in a friendly some time back so we know they have a strong team. As for the rest of the teams, we are going in blind to what they have in store. 

We will, however, get a chance to watch the first match between Onjiko and Friends School Kamusinga (FSK) in the group stage before meeting them and that should give us a chance to strategise against them," added Kibagendi. 

With teams expected to play two matches a day as the championship had been squeezed into four days as opposed the usual five or six days, the tactician beleives his squad has the endurance to handle that as they have been playing with such a schedule in the NBA and they have also taken that into account during their training. 

Dagoretti are in pool A that while the defending champions, Laiser Hill are in pool B that also had Eastern champions Lukenya Academy, Pioneer School from Central and Dr Agreey High from coast region. 

Basketball Boys (Five-aside)

Pool A

1Nyanza - Onjiko

2.North Eastern

3.Nairobi - Dagoretti

4.Western - F.S.K

Pool B

1. R/valley - Laiser Hill

2.Eastern - Lukenya Academy

3.Central - Pioneer School 

4.Coast - Dr. Aggrey