Uganda in timely Kenyan basketball friendly

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenya will bank on their physicality and aggression to intimidate Uganda as they look for a positive conclusion to this round of build-ups for next year's FIBA Africa Zone V qualifiers, which they began with a friendly match against Ivory Coast on Tuesday. 

 

It is fair to suggest the hosts will start as marginal favourites in both the women and men's affairs although the bigger point here may not be the final score but the intimation of a new sense of focus within Kenyan basketball after years of chaos at the helm of the sport.

 

Kenya have been in Uganda's shadow since 2014 especially among the men but the Silverbacks side that was named for today's friendly is without all the foreign-based players, making it but a shadow of the actual team.

 

The much bigger Kenyans will take advantage of that. This Gazelles unit is a more accurate reflection of their full-strength version but they are similarly undersized although they boast plenty of pace and trickery, just like their male counterparts.

 

Uganda is looking for a restart after coming unstuck in their last international assignments - the Silverbacks faltering in the World Cup qualifiers, the Gazelles in the 2017 Afrobasket qualifiers. In that regard, both Uganda and Kenya will benefit from the revelations of today's encounters.