Kenya is set to make basketball history this weekend as it hosts the FIBA Africa 3×3 Lite Quest Championship for the first time, with the coastal city of Mombasa welcoming 15 teams (headlined by Togo’s Famous Basketball Team) for the two-day showdown that tips off today at the Aga Khan Academy.

Speaking to PD Wikendi on the night of Thursday, April 3, before flying to Mombasa yesterday morning, Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Secretary General Angela Luchivya said this would be the first time Kenya, through KBF in collaboration with SPOT 360, is hosting the FIBA Africa 3×3 Lite Quest Championship.

Luchivya said 15 teams, including a basketball team from the West African country of Togo, will feature in the two-day championship, tipping off today at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa and concluding on Sunday, April 6.

The 15 teams will largely comprise Kenyan basketball club teams, among them Equity Dumas, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and a Strathmore University side. Equity, KPA and Strathmore will each be represented by two teams during the championship. She said they intentionally decided to have a lighter championship, featuring mostly Kenyan teams.

Luchivya explained that apart from the four Kenya National Basketball League (KNBL) men’s premier league teams — Equity Dumas, KPA, Strathmore University’s Blades, and Ulinzi Warriors — the rest of the teams will consist of basketball players who have come together and registered under different names in order to compete.

Togo will be represented by the Famous Basketball Team.

She also disclosed that several other teams from Mombasa and Kilifi counties, as well as others from Nairobi, have registered and will take part in the competition.

She noted that the Kenyan chapter of the championship will be held alongside three others staged in other African countries, among them Algeria and Benin, noting that last year Benin and Togo hosted the event.

She further explained that the winning team from each of the four FIBA Africa 3×3 Lite Quest Championships will qualify for the FIBA Africa Challenger Series to be held in Kigali, Rwanda, in October this year.

FIBA will cater for the air tickets and accommodation of the qualifying teams.

Luchivya said team eligibility for the championship includes verification through the FIBA 3×3 backend system. Each team is allowed to field only one foreign player, while under-18 players are not eligible to participate.

Meanwhile, the two-day FIBA Africa 3×3 Lite Quest Championship in Mombasa was preceded by a FIBA Africa Grade 3 Referees Training Clinic yesterday. It was attended by 33 Kenyan basketball officials, including one referee from neighbouring Tanzania.

The clinic, facilitated by certified FIBA instructors, provided in-depth training, including classroom theoretical sessions and live on-court practice, all aimed at enhancing the quality and capacity of 3×3 refereeing and officiating standards in Kenya and aiding officials keen on developing their skills towards acquiring international accreditation.