KIGALI, Rwanda — Nairobi City Thunder (NCT) captain Tylor Ongwae is arguably the face of Kenyan basketball, but in his home city of Eldoret, the most conspicuous athletes are neither hoopers nor footballers.
Rather, Kenya’s fifth-biggest city is known for its track and road-running talent. Eldoret attracts distance runners due to its high altitude of 2,100 metres (6,900 feet) – rising as high as 2,700 metres (8,900 feet) in surrounding areas.
Most famously, Eliud Kipchoge – arguably the most successful marathon runner ever – lives in the nearby village of Kaptagat. For most, the city is a short drive away. For Kipchoge, the distance is equivalent to a training run.
Ongwae – who was born in Kisii but grew up in Eldoret – realised at a young age that he was never going to be a running champion himself, but observing firsthand the discipline of the greats inspired him to reach for the stars in a different sport.
“We used to wake up at maybe five in the morning and go to school and you could see a lot of people running early in the morning. When you are young and you see such dedication, you get inspired. [You think]: ‘Why not me?,'” Ongwae told ESPN.
“The funny thing is: when I was young, I used to run long-distance. I remember where I used to stay, there were a lot of marathon runners, so maybe early in the morning or late in the evening, they would run.
“I would go and try to run with them and – oh my goodness – I would not even be close to them. They were very, very far. They would even lap us sometimes, but it inspired me – just seeing them working hard and how hard it was.”
However, Ongwae’s main Kenyan sporting hero was neither a runner nor a footballer despite his love for and efforts in those two sports. Rather, it was Peter Kiganya, who played basketball in South America and for the Kenyan national team.
Ongwae would go on to not only emulate his legacy, but arguably surpass it. After stints at Ranger College and Louisiana-Monroe, he turned professional in 2015 and played for clubs based in Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, Switzerland, Denmark, Côte d’Ivoire and Germany before coming back home to NCT aged 33.
Most famously, he scored the famous buzzer-beater to clinch the win over Angola that sent Kenya to AfroBasket 2021 – their first appearance in 28 years. Ever since then, he has become a more recognisable face to the Kenyan public – who up until recently generally saw little reason to pay attention to basketball.
Ongwae added: “You meet people in the streets. They will say: ‘Hey, Captain! Hey, Tylor!’ They appreciate that the game is now growing.
“A lot of Kenyans are engaged in basketball and the Nairobi City Thunder is doing a good job in marketing the team and marketing basketball in Kenya. I hope in the near future, we get even more of an audience tuning into our games.”
Ongwae has two players beside him who he will know better than most how to motivate. Garang Diing and Eugene Adera also grew up in Eldoret. Although Ongwae is six years older than Adera and almost a decade older than Diing, he has been watching them play since their childhood.
He continued: “I think the best talent in Kenya – even in the early 2000s – most of them have come from Eldoret. If you look at the Nairobi City Thunder, we have three good players who come from Eldoret.
“I think Eldoret is big-time – that’s where you can find really good players. At a young age, we were playing against older guys, so that toughened us up and made us better.
“I’ve known [Diing and Adera] since they were young – probably since they were five or six years old. I’m a little bit older, but we would actually practice on the same outdoor court. While I was practicing, I would see them on the side, doing ball-handling and all that. With time, I think they grew up and liked the game.”
NCT have had a tough start to the tournament, losing 92-63 to Rwanda’s Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) and 115-87 to Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli in their first two fixtures.
Ongawe said: “What it will take to turn this thing around is just commitment and effort. Like the coaches have said, you have to give 100% – especially defensively.
“We have a lot of athletic guys in our team, but we’ve got to be in the passing lanes and be extremely physical. That would give us a chance to turn this around.”
The BAL airs on ESPN’s channels in Africa (DStv 218 and 219, Starsat 248).
