Agoro Sare High School from Homa Bay County is the winner of the inaugural Eliud Owalo basketball tournament played in Kisumu over the weekend.
The team trounced Nyanza basketball champions Anjiko Boys by 55-29 points to lift the boys’ title which was hotly contested.
Maseno School beat Nyanchwa Boys by 37-27 points in the third-position playoff played at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports Grounds in Kisumu.
In the girls’ category, Nyiya Girls from Siaya County were crowned winners after beating Tuk Jowi Girls from Migori County by 65-38 points.
The tournament sponsored by the Eliud Owalo Foundation brought together 26 teams from Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii, and Nyamira Counties with a total of 390 players participating.
The winners were awarded trophies, uniforms, and cash prizes with all participating teams taking home Sh 20, 000 and Sh500 airtime for each player.
Information, Communication and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo who is the patron of the foundation said the tournament targets to scout and nurture talent to restore the region’s past glory in the sport.
Nyanza region, he said produced some of the country’s prolific basketball players adding that through the tournament which shall be played annually, the foundation and partners will identify, nurture, and support upcoming players to play in top-tier leagues.
Scouts from the Kenya Academy of Sports and the Kenya Basketball Federation, he added have identified the best players in the tournament whom he said will constitute a team for Nyanza to play in the top-flight basketball league.
The tournament comes barely two months after a successful football tournament organized by the foundation in December last year.
The CS said the initiative shall be extended to cover other disciplines to help scout and nurture talent across the board.
By Chris Mahandara
