NAIROBI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Kenya Basketball Federation chairman Paul Otula praised the national men's and women's basketball teams on Thursday for their qualifications into the continental championships.
The men's team beat Uganda 77-71 in the final of the FIBA Africa Zone Five Championship last weekend to qualify for the first ever AfroBasket Championships to be staged in Mali in September. The women's team, the Lionesses, will be in Senegal for the AfroBasket Championships.
"This time Kenya has assembled the most awesome crop of players and they are proving themselves worthy opponents. They are self-disciplined, patriotic and are ready to fight to the last minute to defend our beloved country," Otula said.
"Their fighting spirit shocked even the hosts during the Africa Zone Five qualifiers. Kenya has weathered the worst storm to bring honour to our country and they can get better by each tournament," he added.
The AfroBasket championships take place every two years and will be featuring local players only.
Six subzones receive two berths each, only Zone 1 get one. The host and the champion from the preceding AfroBasket also get a berth each and finally three teams are selected as wild cards.
