The Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa played host to the opening round of qualifiers for the 2022 Red Bull Half Court competition.
The tournament, which is a partnership between Red Bull and the Kenya Basketball Federation, saw different teams square it out against each other for an opportunity to represent the coastal town in the National Finals that are set to be played on May 28, 2022 in Nairobi.
In the Women’s category, U-18 Elite edged out Queens 10-3 to emerge the overall Mombasa women’s winners. The two teams will proceed to the national finals. In the men’s category, 4 points separated Three Gang from T.Wolves, in a match that ended 12-8 in favor of Three Gang in overtime.
Joining Three Gang and T.Wolves in the national finals are Mamba and Predators. The four teams will battle it out with finalists from the Nairobi and Kisumu qualifiers for an opportunity to represent the country in the world championship that is set to take place in September in Cairo, Egypt.
Hilmi Ali the Vice President of the Kenya Basketball Federation said the tournament was a step in the right direction towards identifying talent in the country.
“This competition is an opportunity for us to improve local talent, and to increase players’ engagement even as we position ourselves towards participating in the 3×3 basketball at the Olympics.”
3 on 3 Basketball Mombasa Regional Coordinator, Mr. Eugene Auka, urged the government and relevant stakeholders to invest more and support 3×3 basketball in the region and the country.
“We are grateful for this initiative by Red Bull and the Kenya Basketball Federation. I would like to challenge the government to invest more in 3×3 basketball and the game at large”
Focus now shifts to the lakeside city of Kisumu, which is set to host the second round of qualifiers on April 29, 2022. This will be an opportunity for ballers from the region to showcase their prowess in the 3×3 basketball game.
