''We are prepared for a tough challenge,'' says Kenya's captain Ligare

NAIROBI (Kenya) - Kenya's captain Griffin Ligare is aware of the expectation of the country when the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Pre-qualifiers throws off in Nairobi next week.

Despite not having FIBA Africa Zone 5 top sides in Egypt, Rwanda and Uganda in the competition, Ligare warns that it will not be a walk in the park.

"IF WE QUALIFY, WE WILL MEET AFRICA GIANTS LIKE ANGOLA, SENEGAL AND MOZAMBIQUE. THIS WILL BE A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO KNOW IF WE ARE NOW RIPE ENOUGH TO TAKE ON THE CONTINENTS BEST SIDES."
- Ligare

He urges teammates that they will still have to work extra hard to secure the single slot on offer for the continental showpiece qualifiers.

"Expectations are high. It is not going to be an easy tournament. We will have to work extra hard to book the only ticket. That is the reality," he told FIBA.basketball in an interview at the team’s training base at Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium.

Kenya faces Tanzania, Somalia, South Sudan and Eritrea in a five team pre-qualifiers that runs from January 14-18.

These teams are ranked lower than Kenya in the continental pecking order, but according to Ligare, only hard work will be key to a win.

The South Sudanese, he observes, could pose the greatest threat to Kenya. They have a new boss in Luol Deng whose achievements on the court is known to all. And not much about the rest of the competitors are known either.

Ligare added: "This will be the only guarantee of a slot to progress to the next level of this competition. And we will give it a good shot. Nothing more. Nothing less."

He went on to explain that "Kenya will play to qualify not just to participate. There is a good chance. We are not taking anything to chance. We are prepare for a tough challenge."

Ligare reveals Kenya will miss the services of Denmark-based star Tylor Ongwae, whose exploits in the inaugural FIBA AfroCan 2019 helped the team bag the silver medal behind winners DR Congo in Bamako, Mali.

"We will definitely miss Tylor. His playing ability and execution were key to our sterling performance against power house Nigeria, Tunisia and Cote d’Ivoire. But we are ready for the task ahead. The rest of us will have to step up,"he noted.

He revealed that the East Africans have some good players in the team and this would be a perfect opportunity for anyone named into the side to showcase his talents. There are players working hard ready to keep that fire burning and this was encouraging.

On, Tunisia-based Tom Wamukota, another player who was named in the FIBA AfroCan 2019 All-Star Five, Ligare says his presence in both the defensive and offensive fronts steadies the team and are important.

"When he is on the court, he pushes us and reminds us of what we need to do to be successful. We need him and hopes he finally shows up," the 35-year-old veteran said.

The Thunder point guard dubbed "Kenya One" guided his side to their first-ever trip to the Premier League play off finals last month where they fell 3-1 by eventual winners Ulinzi Warriors.

"If we qualify, we will meet Africa giants like Angola, Senegal and Mozambique. This will be a perfect opportunity for us to know if we are now ripe enough to take on the continent's best sides," the 1.79m (5ft9in) Ligare concluded.

Seven zones will play Pre-Qualifiers in five groups in January 2020 across the continent with the five winners progressing to the next stage of the qualification process where they will join the 15 teams that took part in the FIBA AfroBasket 2017 in Senegal and Tunisia.

These 15 teams that have automatically made it to this stage include Angola, Cameroon,Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tunisia and Uganda.

The 20 teams that will take part in the qualification process found out their opponents for the start of the Pre-Qualifying campaign for the next edition of FIBA Africa's flagship event.

FIBA