Owour pleads with KBF to work on way to integrate overseas players earlier for international assignments

Kenya Morans head coach Cliff Owour at the end of an up and down 2025 FIBA Afrobasket Qualifiers in Tunisia where Kenya won once and dropped two games, had only one prayer to the Kenya Basketball Federation in preparation for the second qualification window next year.

Going into the competition, Morans trained and traveled without some of their overseas star players, who would only join up with the rest of the team members with just hours left to tip off.

Among them this time, were Joel Awich - currently plying trade in France for Béliers de Kemper - and point guard Derrick Ogechi, playing for Spanish side Coto Cordoba, who due to “club commitments” were forced to stay put and only link up with the separate 10-man squad a day before their opening game against Tunisia.

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As fate would have it, the two ended up being Kenya’s top performers, averaging double digits points and over 10 plus-minus in Kenya’s only game won, while playing an average of over 22 minutes each.

Looking forward to the adjustments he would make in February next year, Owour said to the press: “We will try and do a better job of getting the likes of Ogechi in good time so that we are able to work out and fly to the desired destination together, as opposed to us just flying them straight from their clubs to the game while we have things to work on.”

On how the situation could have affected his side, which was littered by turnovers in the opening two losses to Tunisia (15) and Angola (25), he said: “Sometimes there is an element of guys not being attached to each other and it's something we are going to work alongside to the federation to see to it that we are able to get them in good time and prepare well because the coming window will probably be tougher.”

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Kenya is poised to play the same Group E all over again in a yet-to-be determined venue, and will seal qualification if they finish in the top two positions.

On Nairobi, Kenya being a probable destination, Owuor added: “We were actually looking to host it this time but Tunisia pipped us. It's something we talked about with the federation President and we will try to do that.”

Meanwhile, the team jetted back in the country on Tuesday afternoon, and will be back in training in June.