Olympic and St. John Junior Secondary Schools delivered outstanding performances in girls’ and boys’ categories at the inaugural Junior NBA and Safaricom tournament, held at Sabis International School in Nairobi.
The M-PESA Jr. NBA program, which was launched by the National Basketball Association (NBA) Africa and Safaricom, hosted the Nairobi leg of four regional basketball tournaments for youth aged 13-16 across Kenya.
Olympic Junior Secondary School’s boys’ and girls’ teams were the standout performers in the tournament, which featured 24 schools and over 500 junior players.
Tournament Highlights
- Girls’ Semi-finals: Olympic Junior Secondary decisively defeated Daima Junior Secondary 26-4. St. John Junior Secondary narrowly overcame Chrisco Junior Secondary 12-10.
- Boys’ Semi-finals: Olympic Junior Secondary beat Harambee Junior Secondary 15-6. St. John Junior Secondary edged out Makini School 16-14 in a close contest.
- Third-Place Playoffs: Daima Junior Secondary triumphed over Chrisco Junior Secondary 13-5 in the girls’ division. Makini School defeated Harambee Junior Secondary 23-10 in the boys’ division.
- Girls’ Final: Olympic Junior Secondary won gold with a dominant 25-3 victory over St. John Junior Secondary.
- Boys’ Final: St. John Junior Secondary secured gold by defeating Olympic Junior Secondary 17-14 in a closely contested match.
Coaches’ Perspectives
- Ezra Alenga, coach of Olympic Junior Secondary, attributed their success to rigorous training since the November school break. “When others went on holiday, we remained behind in Nairobi to train. The rewards are showing right now,” he stated.
- Brian, coach of St. John Junior Secondary, highlighted his team’s tactical approach, emphasizing their use of three-point shots to overcome their opponents’ physical advantage. “We prepared over time, it feels good because it was a nice competition and very tough by the way.”
With Nairobi in the books, the M-PESA Jr. NBA tournament now heads to Mombasa on March 8th–9th, 2025, at Aga Khan Academy.
