Sprite Team and Kisauni Queens win in Mombasa

By ERICK OCHIENG’

Sprite Team and Kisauni Queens are the winners of the fifth edition of Sprite Slam Basketball Championship held at Baptist High School in Tudor, Mombasa, at the weekend.

The two teams overcame 60 others drawn from schools, colleges, leagues, and estates to win in their categories which will see them represent the region at the national finals to be staged in Nairobi on August 13.

Sprite Team comprising Samuel Odera, Erick Wawire, Meshack Lemmie and Josephat Ouma, dismissed hard-tackling K-Blades 6-2 in the fast-paced basketball contest characterised by crazy dunking styles and looping to emerge winner in the men’s category.

On their way to the finals Sprite Team edged out Serani 9-3, Senator 9-2, and Congo 8-1 among others.

"We managed to win this championship because of immense team work, the event gave us opportunity to showcase our talent since championships like this are hard to come by," said Odera, 18, a former Maseno School player who is currently honing his skills at the Kenya Basketball Federation Premier League side, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).

Odera, who was drafted along with his high school team mate, Wawire at KPA, reiterated the need to work on their speed and strength before the team travels to Nairobi for the national contest which they believe will be very stiff.

It was a dream come true for Kisauni Queens who edged Sparkles 7-3 in the women’s finals.

National finals

Last year, Kisauni Queen’s quest for the national finals ended dramatically after they were thrown out of the competition in the semi-finals.

At weekend, the girls’ team, which has survived numerous storms since its inception in 2001, overcame top notch coast sides that included Babes and Bracers.

Team captain Josephine Chao, a student at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, said her side will work on shooting and defense and increase their level of bonding before the national finals in Nairobi.

The Coast Sprite Slam had other contests including free throws, dunking and three pointers, whose winners went home with various gift packages.

Coast Basketball Association chairman, Hilmi Ali, told FeverPitch he was happy that the great event was successfully staged in Mombasa and he was looking forward to other shows that could help uplift standards of basketball at the Coast.

"I strongly believe Coast representatives will give other teams a run for their money this time round unlike other seasons that we have lost," said Ali

"Greatest challenge for basketball in this region is lack of facilities and sponsors to raise the standards," he added.

Since its inception on June 11 in Nairobi, Sprite Slam has toured Kisii, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Mombasa. The event goes to Nyeri this weekend.

Kenya will then host the East African Sprite Slam finals on August 27. National finalists from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique will compete against each other for the top spot.

Sprite Slam is a brand developed to give the youth an opportunity to showcase their skills. It allows the brand to build a strong and compelling brand asset, and have a meaningful presence in grassroots basketball as a means to building long lasting connections with teens and young adults.

It provides a strong platform for identifying and nurturing emerging talent in basketball.