Zetech to beef up squad ahead of Premier League

After lifting the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) women’s Division One League at the weekend, Zetech University Sparks now turn focus to the Kenya University Sports Association (KUSA) League.

Head coach Maurice Obilo says he is also looking forward to bagging a maiden gong in KUSA with his young team that lifted the KBF trophy at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi last weekend.

“We were on the lead in the university league but our matches were halted to give us time to clear the KBF playoffs. Now that we are done and dusted with the KBF 2016 season our focus shifts to KUSA where we are currently fourth in the log but with three games at hand,” Obilo said.

Obilo says he will use the KUSA games to step up training for the 2017 KBF women’s Premier League where they have gained promotions for the first time in their four-year history.

The other side promoted to the premier is Strathmore University who they beat 3-0 in the best-of-five finals playoff.

Due to the intensity of the Premier League, Obilo is wary of his young and inexperienced players, a fact that he says is forcing him to recruit two new players with experience to beef up the team.

“When we won the Nairobi Basketball Association (NBA) league in 2015 I decided to retain the squad when we got promoted to the KBF Division One. But it won’t be the same phenomenon at the Premier League, I have no option but to beef up the squad,” Obilo said.

Obilo intends to recruit one centre player and another forward with experience to help him gel well his young and energetic side.

Asked what propelled them to lift the 2016 trophy, Obilo says it was his players' focus that helped in the realisation of the dream.

“We took one game at a time and this saw us win all our matches in regular season and were unbeaten in the playoffs,” he said.

“We also had full services of one of our key player; Teresa Oloo who previously had work commitments and could not play regularly when we were still in the NBA league.”