Nothing less than basketball gong will satisfy Laiser Hill

Former boys' basketball champions Laiser Hill Academy are determined to reclaim their lost glory at this year's Brookside Secondary Schools National Term One games that begin on Tuesday at Shanzu Teachers College and Shimo La Tewa High School, Mombasa.

Known for coming back stronger whenever they are wounded, Laiser Hill will be out to recapture the title they lost to Dr Aggrey Boys High School from Coast. They will also be out to make amends for their dull show last year that saw them settle for bronze after losing 58-65 to Dr Aggrey in the semi-finals.

Laiser Hill coach Anthony Kirimi said that he has a good squad ready to challenge for the title.

"We have changes in the team because in schools you don't expect to have the same players every year due to the continuous transition to universities and colleges. We are cognizant of that fact, and so we have put structures in place to ensure that we don't run out of talent," Kirimi said.

The record national title winners will launch their title quest in Group B alongside North Eastern champions Wajir High School, perennial rivals Lukenya School from Eastern and Sawagongo High School from Nyanza.

"We don't know what to expect from our opponents and so we must be at our best. Lukenya have always been hard to beat, and we also have teams that we will be playing for the first time, and so we can't take any chances," he added.

Laiser Hill shooting guard Dynoken Ochieng is eager to lead his side to success.

"We have been training hard in preparation for this year's games and we are ready for the challenge. We are confident that our hard work and dedication will bear fruit," Ochieng said.

They will bank on the services of Carlos Kasekel (point guard), Clinton Wambugu(guard), Charles Mutuma (shooting guard), Tyrel Ian (power forward) and centre Arol Deng deliver the trophy.Laiser Hill who have dominated the Rift Valley since 2017 will also face stiff competition from their Group A opponents. Laiser Hill who are the most decorated basketball team in East Africa are also looking to qualify for the regional games so they can improve on their second-place finish in last year's games held in Mbale, Uganda.

Should they advance to the semi-finals, they will be up against top sides in the pool which has defending champions Dr Aggrey, Pioneer School from Central, national regulars Dagoretti High School from Nairobi and Western champions Friends School Kamusinga.

Kamusinga return to the nationals after missing last year's games having been eliminated by their Busia County rivals Sigalame in the Western region final. They will be looking to build on their 2024 basketball 3X3 exploits. They had a good year winning the East Africa title despite finishing third at last year's national Term Two games. Kamusinga's 3X3 title was a first for Kenya since the sport was included on the East Africa stage in 2022.