Nairobi — "I would probably retire after that because what bigger thing is there than the Olympic Games?" American-born Victoria Reynold quips as she explains her dream to play for Kenya at the Paris Games in 2024.
That's just how massive her dream is.
Having donned the Kenyan jersey at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year, where the Lionesses reached the quarter finals on their debut in 3x3 basketball, Reynolds is now dreaming of achieving the same feat in Paris next year.
The Kenyan team is set to start playing qualification tournaments later on this year, with the first one lined up in Congo Brazzaville, and Reynold holds on to the dream of seeing the Kenyan flag on a basketball court in the French capital.
"That would be massive for me honestly," Reynolds says, speaking to Capital Sports from her home in Portugal, where she is currently based.
She adds; "If I get that opportunity, it will be an honor and a blessing to represent Kenya at that stage. As a team, we will definitely be working hard to get there."
She reminisces with an utmost smile on her face, the experience of playing at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and it is the hunger borne from the British city, that she wishes to see Kenya play in Paris.
"That was an experience that I cannot put into words. It was my first time ever playing 3x3 basketball and then playing against international big names like Australia and the likes was just amazing," Reynolds explains, with a nostalgic smile on her face.
She adds; "It was our first international big event as a team and considering we hadn't been at the competition before, I think we did well to get to the quarter finals. Playing at the Commonwealth Games was really valuable to us because it gave us some lessons and great exposure."
"It's a lot of pride for me to don the national team jersey. Being one of 12 to represent the country is a huge honor and if you have to do it, do it well. I always want to go out there and do my best and in years to come, I want to look back and say we have come a long way and that will be a proud moment for me."
Reynolds, whose father Ben Wanjara played for the men's national team in the early 90s made her debut for Kenya at the 2021 Africa Zone Five Championships, where she was named the Most Valuable Player, and the best small forward.
The 25-year old is born of a Kenyan father and an American mother.
She was born and bred in Fairfax Virginia, and through the influence of her parents, took up basketball from as early as four years of age.
"Both my mum and dad played basketball in college and most of the extended family, including my grandparents also played basketball. So it was only natural for me to take up the sport," she explains.
She grew in the sport and went on to play at the College of William and Mary, and it was not until 2021 that the idea of playing for Kenya came into fruition.
"I always said, that when an opportunity would come, I would take it. At that time, I had just joined my Masters program and the team came together during our summer break and I said okay, now that I am not doing anything, I might as well go and I took the opportunity," explains the 25-year old.
She proved to be the missing part of the Lionesses engine as they went on to win the Zone Five Championship, and the title came against Egypt, winning their last game in convincing fashion.
"The debut was more than I had expected and anticipated. I was just going in green, I didn't know what to expect and everything was new for me. It was also the first time that I had been in Kenya for longer than three weeks and that experience was great," says Reynolds.
She has gone on to play for Kenya again at this year's Zone Five Championship, but they unfortunately lost to Egypt and went on to finish third.
In between her national team experiences, she has also twice played for the Kenya Ports Authority, at the Africa Club Championship in 2021 and last year's Zone Five Championships in Kampala.
"It was a bit deflating of course failing to qualify automatically after losing only one game. In that match so many things went wrong and if so much could go wrong in one day, then it was that day. But we have been told we might get a wildcard so we are waiting and crossing our fingers," she says.
Looking back, she says she is proud of every step she has taken wearing a Kenyan jersey and she now wants to play for as long as she can.
Her dad, Ben, is hugely proud of what she has achieved thus far.
"He was an influence for me of course and he always says how proud he is to see me play. He is happy that I am doing it and wants me to play as long as I can," Reynolds says.
She currently plays her club basketball in Portugal for Imortal Tcars Albufeira in the top division and helped them break into the play-offs after finishing eighth in the regular season.
Her first pro club was in Spain, where she played for Miralvalle Plasencia.
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"Turning pro has been great but definitely comes with challenges, but I am glad to do it. Being away from family can be tough at times because you miss your people and you want to be there with them. But I have gained lots of experience in my two pro clubs because you are always playing against the best in the world," she explains.
She now hopes that she can use her experience and talent to help raise the Kenyan game and slowly become a powerhouse not only in the region but the continent as well.
"There's a lot of good players in Kenya and we have the potential to become a really good basketball nation. Some of my coaches watched the matches I play and they say there's talent, there's athletic ability but we just need a structure,"
"What we need to do better is to have more international friendly matches especially leading up to big tournaments. Like now we have the Africa Games next year and if we can get some two or so friendly matches against teams outside East Africa, it would be good for us to gain experience," she noted.
Vicky, as her peers call her, is now hoping that Kenyan basketball can take the next huge step, and this dreams, she says, will made even more closer, with a qualification to the Olympic Games in Paris next year.
