Coach Ibs warns Thunder against opponents' youth and athleticism

Nairobi City Thunder head coach Brad Ibs has cautioned his team about the youth and athleticism of their upcoming opponents as they prepare for a weekend doubleheader against United States International University (USIU) on Saturday and the University of Nairobi (UON) on Sunday.

The league leaders have been urged to start strong, with Ibs emphasizing the need for an aggressive first quarter. He warned that their opponents' speed and energy could pose a challenge, referencing their sluggish start against Strathmore in a previous game.

“We know these teams are young, athletic, and well-coached. They have length, play strong defence, and we learned our lesson last year, we must start strong," Ibs said.

"Like in the Strathmore game, we want to come out with a great first quarter to set the tone and intensity right away. If we do that, we will feel confident about securing a good result.”

Thunder aims to maintain their unbeaten run in the league and replicate last year’s success in securing back-to-back titles.

As Kenya’s sole representative in this year’s Basketball Africa League (BAL), Thunder is using league games as preparation for the tournament, which tips off on April 5 in Morocco and concludes with the finals on June 14 in South Africa.

“Our goal, beyond winning locally, is to focus on BAL,” said power forward James Mwangi.

“We respect our opponents, but our mindset is on BAL. That’s why we’re playing friendly matches against the national team and other local sides while applying what we practice in real-game situations.”

Ibs remains wary of university teams, noting that they posed significant challenges last season. He is determined to keep his squad engaged and focused to secure wins in the upcoming matches.

Thunder will look to extend their perfect 3-0 record this weekend. Meanwhile, USIU enters the matchup having won two of their last three games and will be eager to improve their standing.

UON, on the other hand, faces a tough test against the high-flying Thunder, coming off a heavy 91-52 defeat to KPA in their previous outing.