NAIROBI — Magadi Boys Junior Secondary Junior Secondary School and Nyamome Junior School were crowned winners of the M-PESA Jr. NBA Nyanza Region edition finals held at the Kenyatta Sports Ground in Kisumu over the weekend.
In a tightly-contested boys' final, Magadi edged out Kanyamedha School 13-7.
Head coach Michael Omondi was over the moon after the win, describing the two-day tournament as a great experience for his players.
"First, I want to thank the Jr. NBA and the M-PESA team for organising this wonderful tournament, providing our young players with a platform to showcase their talents. This has been a great experience, especially for those who have never played in such high-quality facilities," Omondi said.
The coach further said the financial literacy training by M-PESA has greatly empowered them on prudent management of finances.
"They have also had the opportunity to interact and learn not just about basketball but also about the financial literacy services offered by the M-PESA team. Our opponents were tough and highly experienced, pushing us to our limits, giving us a real challenge, but we played a tactical game, which ultimately led us to victory," he said.
In the girls' final, Nyamome Junior School delivered a dominant performance, crushing Lisana Junior Secondar School 21-3.
Nyamome maintained high defensive pressure until the final whistle.
Head coach Zeddy Omuro said they came prepared for a tough competition.
"Being crowned Jr. NBA Nyanza Region champions is something we are incredibly happy about as a team. This is a historic moment in our basketball journey. We came prepared, knowing the competition would be tough considering there were many teams, and our hard work paid off. Training consistently gave us the edge and we dominated on both ends of the court," Omuro said.
He expressed hope that such tournaments will help unearth more talents at an early age.
"I am also thrilled to receive a smartphone from Safaricom, it is really an amazing reward that I personally didn't expect. Tournaments like this will inspire more young players to take up the game and dream big" he said.
Braeburn International School and Kisumu Senior School secured third and fourth place, respectively, in the boys' category.
In the girls' side, Blair School and Kanyamedha school finished third and fourth, respectively.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
As part of their victory, players from both winning teams walked away with smartphones and airtime courtesy of M-PESA.
The two-day M-PESA Jr. NBA Nyanza Edition featured more than 500 players from 40 teams representing 40 schools across Nyanza. Beyond the on-court action, Safaricom integrated financial literacy sessions through M-PESA Go, equipping the young players with essential financial management skills.
"The Nyanza edition has been amazing, witnessing a huge number of players from different walks of life. As Safaricom through M-PESA, we are happy to be part of this initiative geared towards, supporting, nurturing and transforming lives of our young Kenyans. We are not only exposing their talents to the world but also educating and equipping them with essential financial management skills," Kawera Mugambi, Growth Manager, for M-PESA Go, said.
With the regional tourneys done and dusted, attention shifts to the national finals set for April 10-11.
This will be preceded by the Elite Top 100 Clinic at Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, on April 7.
