American Farris to conduct basketball coaching clinic at Shauri Moyo

FirstCoach.In tactician Mike Farris will be in the country to conduct a basketball coaching clinic at Nairobi's Shauri Moyo from 16 to 19 March. 

Farris, a coach at Norfolk Christian Schools is working closely with coach Evelyne Kedogo as they look to empower coaches in East Africa and help identify young talents in the region who can land sponsorship to study in the Virginia-based school. 

This is the second time the American will be in the country, having first held the clinic in 2019 before plans for the 2020 editions were disrupted by Covid-19 pandemic. 

"For this year's edition, the clinic is open to all. What participants need to do is confirm participationeith any of the Kenyan coaches involved. We are expecting a big number as the first edition attracted over 80 participants.

We have participants from South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and one from Nigeria while the rest will be drawn from the country," offered coach Kedogo. 

The 2021 editions were held in Congo, Burundi and South Sudan and as they return to Kenya, coach Kedogo is hopeful more youngsters will get a chance to land sponsorships to US.

"We train coaches who will handle young players who are beginners in the game. In addition to the coaching course, we have some players invited for afternoon sessions where the coaches get a chance to practise what they learned in the morning sessions. 

It is from the said players that Urban Discovery Ministries identify deserving talents for sponsorship to study and play in Virginia State under coach Farris," explained Kedogo. 

The duo of Michelle Luhunga from Tigoi Girls and Irene Were Butere Girls were selected to join the Norfolk Christian School. In 2021, they made the top ten best performers in the Virginia State Western Conference. Were was voted seventh while Luhunga came in eighth place. 

Luhunga made it to the all-star team in the conference and also received the team's best defensive player. 

In 2019, following the coaching coarse, Farris invited Equity Bank men's coach Carey Odhiambo and Uganda's Albert Asiko who was part of the then clinic to the US where they underwent further coaching training.