Nadia Juma travelled from her school in Migori to the Top 100 Elite camp in Mombasa, hoping that the skills and experience she has acquired playing basketball can open new doors for her.
The Grade 9 student at Nyamome Junior School in Migori was inspired to pick up the sport by her coach, Zeddy Otieno. Despite the poor state of the court at their school, Nadia has excelled in shooting hoops.
“My goal was to play well, be spotted and get a scholarship,” she told the Safaricom Newsroom.
She was amongst students who filled in application forms for M-PESA Foundation Academy.
“I pray that I get admitted to that school and that I keep playing well, get to play overseas and become well-known,” explained a passionate Nadia.
She might earn a high school basketball scholarship courtesy of the M-PESA Jr NBA program.
Talent identification at an earlier age is at the core of the M-PESA Jr NBA program. The nurturing of talent identified is underpinned with offers of basketball scholarships at premier Kenyan high schools for those who caught the eye of the scouts.
Being talented at basketball and scoring good grades are the combination guaranteed to open doors to life-changing opportunities.
Among those in the hunt for talented players at the Top 100 Elite camp in Mombasa were scouts from the exclusive M-PESA Foundation Academy, the prestigious Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa and the iconic Maseno School.
“I have seen very good talent. The players have displayed resilience and hard work. For Maseno School, when we scout, we look at discipline as character is key in every sportsman. And then the academic part, you must also be good at academics,” said Edgar Miheso, head coach at Maseno School.
The NBA stamp of approval is a game-changer for the 100 best Under 16 basketball players in the country picked in the four regional tournaments held in Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu and Nairobi.
“We are beginning by giving them the platform to showcase their talent. Then they get scholarships to Kenyan high schools. After that, depending on the level of individual talent they can possibly move to other opportunities abroad. That is a story that still is yet to be written, but I anticipate big things in the future,” said Michael Finley, the Country Director at NBA Kenya.
Watch the video below to see how scouting, scholarships and hopes converged during the M-PESA Jr NBA program.
