Washika on the mend after knee surgery

Ulinzi Warriors have been shaky this season and the team's management should be counting the days until former skipper and team forward John Washika gets back on his feet. 

The player is just as eager to get back on the court and fight alongside his brothers for another championship and more.

The indefatigable power forward got injured while preparing for Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers in Dar es Salaam in October 2021, an unfortunate incident that saw him miss the two rounds of qualifications in Tanzania and South Africa. 

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"l torn my medial collateral ligament (MCL) before the matches began in Dar es Salaam and I had to sit out the first round. I did not get to travel with the team for the second round. 

I needed surgery after that and I have waited a year for the procedure to be done. Finally my knee was operated on successfully on 10 November and I am on a recovery journey now," Washika narrates. 

With already 14 months of inaction for the championship-winning forward, he still has six or eight more to fully recover from the procedure and be allowed back on the court but Washika is taking the wait with grace. 

"Recovery is not easy. It requires discipline and commitment on therapy sessions as well as patience. 

I have gone through injury before so I know this recovery journey well and I am optimistic I will come of fune and get back on the court. 

My comeback will depend highly on how effective the therapy sessions are and God’s grace. I am, however, optimistic that by August or September 2023 I will be back doing what I love," he added. 

Washika who won the Kenya Basketball Federation men's league title with Warriors in 2019 missed part of the 2021 second leg and playoffs as Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) dethroned the military side. 

With recovery set to sit him out until at least August, he is likely to miss the 2022/ 23 season now in its second leg entirely. 

"I have set my mind to being ready to play in the next season. I do not want to rush my recovery but I also want to see Warriors back at the top, patience is key.

While I understand that the team is on a rebuilding path, It is painful to see them lose without being there to fight with them in all the outcomes. I am, however, confident all the players still got the fire in them to win, play with pride and be the warriors they are," he offered further acknowledging that his absence might be felt but the team needs to move on regardless. 

He has called on his teammates to work together as a team and unleash the best in each other as they work to reclaim their crown. 

This is not Washika's first encounter with adversity as in January 2020, he suffered a discs bulge that denied him the chance to debut for the national team Kenya Morans at the FIBA Afrobasket pre-qualifiers in Nairobi. 

He had time to recover from it as the 2020 league season was cancelled following the Covid-19 pandemic that led to all sports being shut down just a week to the league jump off.