Cherry Boomers, the changing face of women basketball
For Praise Taifa, Whitney Namenge, Cynthia Nasike, and Vivian Aluvale qualifying for the National finals of the ongoing Red Bull Half Court tournament was a dream come true for them. The team which competed as Cherry Boomers in the recently concluded Kisumu edition of the competition shocked many as they dominated home-based teams in the competition to be crowned as the top ladies team.
The team which comprises of students from Masinde Muliro University and Sigalagala National Polytechnic is among the group of athletes quickly changing the stereotype about Kakamega, an area that has been synonymous with producing rugby players and footballers in the country.
For Praise Taifa, the team’s captain, the journey to the top has not been an easy one but rather one filled with challenges at every step especially due lack of basketball training facilities in the county.
“Growing up in Kakamega county where basketball is not much diverse, we didn’t have many courts which was a big challenge to us, as a result, we had to find alternative training locations train luckily we were able to get an opportunity to train at the Kakamega Canteen a location that we now consider as our home,” she told People Sport.
To her, playing basketball is a lifestyle and more than just a passive activity away from her busy school schedule full of assignments.
“Basketball is very special to me because it makes me happy every day being on the court, feel stress-free to be playing. The sport has been an effective tool in keeping me away from drug use a problem that I have seen some of my friends struggle with,” she noted.
Going into the Kisumu qualifier of the competition the team expected tough competition from home-based teams but their experience participating in the tournaments such as the KBF Division One and KUSA games made the much-needed difference against other teams. Even with her newly attained success on the courts, she is quick to credit her player development to coaches Fred and Michael Mashete who have been instrumental in helping her and her teammates improve their basketball IQ, ball handling, and discipline in the game.
“Having supportive mentors has been very important to us because it has kept us going even on days when we thought things did not make sense, we are grateful for our coaches for the endless support.”
Even with the growing space of basketball in the country, the captain is quick to point out that more needs to be done by relevant stakeholders to improve the involvement of more women in Basketball.
“The stakeholders in basketball should give equal chance to women as men more avenues to engage women hoopers should be made available such as sensitization forums and scholarship opportunities to encourage them to participate more. We are grateful for opportunities that tournaments such as the Red Bull Half Court are providing for us players to improve ourselves in the country.”
Cherry Boomers will be one of the many teams that will be playing the National Finals of the Red Bull Half Court which has been organized in partnership with the Kenya Basketball Federation and will be taking place on June 17 at the USIU grounds where winners will have an opportunity to play in the world finals that will take place in Belgrade Serbia later in the year.
