KPA sharpening claws ahead of inaugural AWBL

Preparations are in top gear for Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) women's team, under the tutelage of Antony Ojukwu, as the Africa Women Basketball League (AWBL) draws near.

The Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) champions are chasing a podium finish that has proven elusive in the championship previously known as FIBA Africa Champions Cup set for 11 to 19 December.

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Ojukwu will be looking to conquer the competition and finally step into the same limelight at the continental level as he has in Zone 5, winning 11 times.

But good preparations and planning remain key. The tactician is convinced that it is only a matter of time before the 15-time Kenya champions make a name for themselves by shaking off the best the continent has to offer.

"I had a good team in Kigali, but to be the best in Africa, we still need to add another big player and a playmaker who can also shoot the ball to our roster," Ojukwu noted days before roping in Antoinette Bannister.

"It is about time that KPA should be dining with the queens of African basketball. I am determined and will continue working hard to achieve this goal. We have to go and perform. Our presence has to be felt," he continued. 

KPA's miseries are compounded by the fact that Eagle Wings, a self-supporting team bagged Kenya's only club medal when they won bronze in 2013 in Meknes, Morocco.

In Kigali, KPA were dominant, whipping REG, JKL Dolphins (Uganda), JKT Stars and Vijana Queens (Tanzania) as well as Nile Legends (South Sudan).

Team cohesion, he said, was the secret behind their good showing in the competition coupled with hard work and proper scouting by the technical bench.

KPA have battled in many African cities but they have not seen a change in fortunes, even in a home championship hosted by Nairobi in 2008. But Ojukwu believes they now have the experience and the personnel to achieve that elusive goal.