Kenyan Morans head coach, Liz Mills, has earned her place in continental basketball history as the first woman to steer a men’s team to the championships. – By Madellene Kalunda.
Basketball coaching in Africa remains dominted by men. Even most women teams are coached by men, but the energetic Liz Mills hopes to see that change.
She is in charge of the Morans in the second round of the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers. The Australian spoke about having more women offered top coaching positions.
“I’m thankful to the Kenyan Federation who entrusted me with their drive for an AfroBasket qualification. I’ve been on the continent for close to a decade and I served on several occasions as head coach at clubs.”
“Later on I went on to be deputy coach at some national teams and top clubs but it is a truly great experience to return to being head coach. My experiences have been amazing and I’m using it to handle this position well and produce results expected, “said Millls.
Seeing Mills with her trademark distinctive boots give out instructions has not only seduced fans, but has also attracted praises from some of the sports protagonists.
The Kenya men’s basketball team, The Morans, landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday morning.
On Saturday night, The Morans made history after beating heavyweights Angola 74-73 in a tough contest in Yaoundé, Cameroon to qualify for the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 tournament in Rwanda.
Morans defeated a team that Kenya has never beaten in the history of basketball in Africa. Owing to that win, The Morans qualified for the next game in Rwanda for the first time in 28 years.
The Morans were thumped 22-9 in the first quarter but fought back to lead 19-17 in the second. The Kenyan team led 25-17 in the third and 21-17 in the fourth quarter. It was a historic comeback from 13 points against the African giants.
