Battle lines drawn as fight for Red Bull Half-Court final slots nears

K-South and Swans were on the weekend crowned the winners in the Men’s and Women’s categories respectively in the Nairobi qualifiers of the Red Bull Half Court tournament that was played at Strathmore University.

The competition attracted a total of 48 teams with 12 ladies’ teams and 36 men’s teams from Nairobi who were battling it out for a chance to represent the country in the world finals that will be played in Belgrade, Serbia.

Reflecting on the performance of their team in the competition K South captain Fredrick Onono acknowledged the high-level skills demonstrated by other teams in the tournament, a factor that challenged them to take every game seriously.

Kisumu teams latest additions to Red Bull half court tournament

“We appreciate the fact that all the teams in the competition did their best. Based on the results we got today we are optimistic that they will emerge victorious in the national finals and represent the country well on the world stage,” he offered.

On her part, Swans captain Deborah Obunga expressed satisfaction with the results of the day which she said were a testament to the hard work that their team had put in before and during the competition.

“We are happy that the hard work paid off in this competition. We are grateful for the opportunity for us to gauge our competitiveness against other teams in the country. Our goal is to get the chance to play in the world finals,” she said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the tournament,3x3 national team coach Zaddock Adika reiterated the growth of the talent since the inception of the competition.

“Since the Red Bull tournament started, players have put more emphasis on scoring and proper defending, a factor that has not only improved the quality of the talent on display but the quality of the game in the country,” he offered.

He further urged more women to participate in the annual event to change the outlook of basketball in the country.

The format of Kenya’s only nationwide 3 on 3 basketball tournament follows the FIBA rules where teams play for 10 minutes to score 21 points max. In the case of a tie, the team that scores 2 points first wins the game.

In each qualifier, the teams will play in a first-round pool play where the team that accumulates the most scoring points is rewarded with a bonus point and a qualification spot in the knockout stage.

Focus now shifts to the USIU grounds on the 17 June where regional winners from Kisumu, Mombasa, and Eldoret will join the Nairobi winners to fight for a slot to represent the country in the world Finals in Belgrade, Serbia.