Kenya: Joel Awich returns with Afrobasket in his sights
Joel Awich has clear goals with Kenya. The 29-year-old big man wants to help his country qualify for Afrobasket 2024.
Sport News Africa · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Audio version in preparation · read aloud by your browser meanwhile
Kemper's Béliers have been given a week off, all except Joel Awich. The player is heading to Tunisia, where he will try to help Kenya qualify for the next men's Afrobasket, which takes place this summer. From this Friday, 23 February, Kenya begin their qualifying campaign for the 2024 men's Afrobasket in a tournament being held in Tunisia. The Kenyans first take on the host nation, before facing Angola on Saturday and then Guinea on Sunday 25th. A tough schedule. But the big man is above all focused on another chance to represent his country.
“My last cap was last year. I wanted to do more this year, and I agreed to come back on board for this project, which is about putting Kenya on the map of world basketball. It's a long and complicated project”, Joel Awich tells Ouest-France.
A legacy to protect
Joel Awich therefore wants to play in his first Afrobasket with Kenya. The “Morans”, ranked 98th in the world, have to fight to earn a place at the great celebration of African basketball. And for the 29-year-old big man, there is a double incentive.
Joel Awich is the son of a former Kenyan international who played at the Afrobasket in 1986, among other tournaments. Awich is therefore a name that stirs memories. “She was my first coach,” the player says with a smile. “In Kenya, when you say the name Awich, it's more about her. She's better known than me.” He will therefore have to make an impression to leave his own mark alongside his mother's.