Kenya's Wanyama confident about chances at Women's AfroBasket Qualifiers

CORTEGADA (Spain) - Kenya Lionesses have what it takes to conquer  Africa Zone Five and proceed to the 2021 FIBA Women's AfroBasket championship according to the national team center Mercy Wanyama.

She remains convinced Kenya can handle top side Egypt, Uganda and debutants South Sudan for the top spot during the Qualifiers slated for Cairo, Egypt in July 5-10 and book a ticket to the continental show.

The Lionesses, she observed, have a very high chance of actually winning it (Zone Five) by going one better this time round.

"THE JOB AHEAD IS NOT EASY BUT IT IS VERY MUCH POSSIBLE TO CONQUER OUR ZONE AND PROCEED TO THE AFROBASKET CHAMPIONSHIP."- Mercy Wanyama

Kenya were beaten to the second spot by Egypt in the last qualifying tournament in Kampala, Uganda in 2019.

"We have all been talking about this one opportunity. We have to qualify and we want to actualise that dream," a confident Wanyama pointed out to FIBA.basketball.

"I am very excited to be able to be called upon to represent the country. It is always such a proud moment and a patriotic one to be called to wear the national colors."

Wanyama is one of the three players who participated in the 2019 Women's AfroBasket in Dakar, Senegal and who have been retained in the squad that is expected to start preparations for the Qualifiers soon.

"The job ahead is not easy but it is very much possible to conquer our zone and proceed to the AfroBasket championship. I am sure if we have a proper training camp we shall be very okay heading into the Qualifiers," she noted.

"We have to take it a game at a time and treat opponents with respect but we shall execute our game plan as we have been scouting our opponents."

The player plies her trade with AD Cortegada, a Spanish Division-Femenina 2 side.

She said she has had a wonderful and learning season at Cortegada and can not wait to share what she has gained at the club with her team mates when she reports back to the country for training.

Wanyama remains unsure what South Sudan will bring to the meeting on their first outing but acknowledge their presence as one of the participating teams in the show is good for the region.

In the Kampala Qualifiers nearly two years ago, the Lionesses gave a good account of themselves beating host Uganda in front of their raucous fans and hit Rwanda but went down to eventual winners Egypt.

But Wanyama believes that this time round if the team prepares adequately, they can turn the tables on the Egyptians and top the Zone, however, this will have to take a lot of work for success to be attained.

"We have to approach the games with clinical precision and execute at all the times we go on offence. At the same time, we will have to defend like our lives depend on it.

"We can't allow Egypt to start off by making any sort of run that will give them confidence in the game against us," she explained.

Wanyama said she is in constant communication with the federation and remained optimistic that her team will have no problem releasing her to join the camp in case their season will not have ended then.

The 1.85m (6ft 1in) Wanyama who has had a two-year professional stint in Spain having started with ABDA is currently having a solid performance in the league.

Wanyama was one of the players who starred for the Lionesses in the team's last African Championship where she was named the third best rebounder  with an average of nine boards behind leaders Tamara Seda of Mozambique who led all players with 11.4 rebounds and Cameroon's Amina Njonkou who finished with 9.7 rebounds per contest. 

She pulled down 12 boards in Kenya's 55-39 loss to Mozambique and had eight in another 64-51 defeat to Angola.

Kenya finished eleventh in the 12-team festival, one lower than their 2013 outing in Maputo.

In the absence of Hilda Luvandwa and Belinda Okoth, two of the players who took care of Kenya’s scoring load in Dakar, the front court of confident Wanyama and Velma Owino will be key.

FIBA