League MVP relishing Morans debut as AfroCan gets underway

Eugene Adera will, for the first time in his career, don the national team colours as he features for Cliff Owuor’s Kenya Morans at the second edition of the AfroCan.

Kenya is fielding five debutants led by Adera who was the league Most Valuable Player (MVP), joined by the trio of United States International University’s Ariel Ortega, Kenya Ports Authority’s Brian Shivachi as well as Tanzania-based Bramwell Muchina.

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US-based Derrick Ogechi, who was a member of the 2021 AfroBasket squad but did not play has also been included in the side as coach Cliff looks to replicate Morans’ performance from 2019 when the team bagged silver, losing to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the final.

Adera who helped KPA clinch a third consecutive title in the just-concluded season says making the final national team ahead of the continental competition is humbling.

“Training has been great and everyone has been so welcoming. Being called to the team is a big thing and a dream for all basketballers so I am humbled. Everything I have worked on in my journey has led to this moment where I am representing the country.

It has been an amazing season since joining KPA and everyone has been supportive. I have also received insights from national team players who kept pushing me to get better,” said Adera who featured for EMYBA before joining coach Sammy Kiki’s KPA.

Asked how much pressure the squad is under to replicate the 2019 performance, Adera maintains that they will ‘do their best’ despite having a slightly different squad from the one that played in Bamako.

Kenya is in pool A alongside Gabon who are making a comeback to the continental scene since featuring in the 2015 Afrobasket. The side also faces Ivory Coast who finished 11th in 2019 at the same championship but have had success in other African competitions, finishing second in the Afrobasket and qualifying for the World Cup.