NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 7 – Kenya Morans point guard Eric Mutoro has blamed the team’s poor performance in the first leg of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers to poor preparations and absence of several stars including Tyler Okari.
The Morans lost all their matches, including double century losses against Egypt and hosts Senegal to leave them with a mountain to climb ahead of the second window of qualification in Cairo in June.
“It was tough yes but I believe as a team we would have done better. Our preparation was not the best because we started off late and also some of the players joined us late in Dakar. It wasn’t just the most ideal ways to prepare for such a tournament,” Mutoro said.
Two of the foreign based players, Fidel Okoth and Okall Koranga joined up with the team late in Dakar, and missed the first game which ended in a 66-56 loss to DR Congo.
Apart from the late arrival, some players missed in entirety. Denmark based Tyler Okari has taken a sabbatical from the national team while Tom ‘Bush’ Wamukota, Desmond Owili and Ronnie Gundo were unavailable.
“It was really bad for us because when you miss regular players in the squad, it becomes really tough. I believe if we had all the players available, we would have won a match or two and would have performed better,” Mutoro said.
He added; “I am really hoping we can have those players back for the second window in June and I have faith that we can stand a chance to earn a ticket to the World Cup. I also believe we should prepare better and for a longer period of time.”
The Morans went down 105-51 to Egypt and conceded another century with a 100-55 defeat at the hands of Senegal.
Despite the massive losses, some positives from those two games include the performance of Preston Bungei against Senegal where he clinched a second game high 19 points with eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Mutoro will switch his attention to club duties as Ulinzi Warriors face either KPA or Equity Dumas in the Kenya Basketball Federation Premier League final.
KPA and Equity are set to replay Game Five as ordered by KBF owing to crowd problems in Mombasa when the two sides clashed in the final of the five-game semi-final.
Despite not knowing who they will face in the final, Mutori is confident they will retain their title.
“I believe in the team and I believe we have the strongest unit in the league. We don’t fear anyone and we will prepare well for whoever will come. The confidence is high and we would like to wrap up the final in three games,” he said.
