Nairobi City Thunder young point guard David Etyang is still over the moon, after being part of the squad that made history, becoming the first ever Kenyan team to qualify for the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Thunder clinched the ticket to be among Africa’s eight best basketball teams, after winning the Elite 16, East Division, staged at the Moi Sports Centre Kasarani two weeks ago.
Thunder only needed to get to the semi-finals to clinch the prestigious ticket, but they went one better, winning all their five games. Etyang, 19, was in the squad, as part of FIBA’s recommendation to have at least one Under-21 player in the squad.
Just fresh from finishing High School at the Kamusinga High School, Etyang achieved what many of his peers would consider a dream. And for him, it was exactly that; a dream; but a dream come true.
Etyang played in all but one of Thunder’s matches, being thrown in by coach Brad Ibs in the final quarters. The only match he didn’t feature in, was the determinant semi final match against Uganda’s City Oilers. In the final match, he was introduced for the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. He joined Thunder at the start of this season, and has also started school at the Strathmore University.
The guard exclusively speaks to Telecomasia.net and gives a lowdown on what it meant for him to be part of the team, and his hope to make the roster for the final BAL tournament.
- When you were first told that you would be part of the final roster, what was your reaction?
- The first time the coach told me I would be on the roster I was so excited. It’s something that I was really looking forward to and I had worked for. But, I knew that there was a lot of work to be done ahead because this was a higher level with bigger demands. I had to make sure that even if I didn’t play that much, I added something for my teammates for us to be able to get that big win.
- How was the experience for you playing at such a high level?
This was a really great and unforgettable experience. It was a great opportunity not only to learn from my teammates but other players as well from the tournament. Just being there, mixing it up with them, learning different stuff about the game and watching different players in my position gave me a lot of lessons.
- What are some of those lessons that you take away from this tournament?
- The biggest lesson is that pro-basketball ain’t a joke. If you want to get something, you need to work extra hard for it. You must have the desire and determination to get whatever you have put your mind on. The second lesson is that basketball never changes, you just have to maintain your confidence and keep your composure. You don’t have to be scared of playing at a bigger stage.
In terms of work on the court I learnt so much from watching other guards play in terms of positioning themselves, reading the game, skills both offensively and defensively as well as game management. I definitely am a better player now compared to the start.
- How much of a boost will this be to your career?
- This is a massive boost definitely. In terms of confidence and motivation, it has worked magic. I definitely am more ambitious now and I believe that if I can put in the work, I can take my career to the next level. We have had pros coming in to play for our team so I know it is possible to grow myself not just to play locally, but also move to greater places.
- With this in mind, what are your targets for the season?
- For BAL, I want to keep working hard to see that I can get a chance to be in the final roster. There are several young players in the team and each of them is talented and works hard so I know competition is going to be stiff. I need to give my best in training and in the league.
- In the league, I want to play as many matches as possible and improve myself.
- As a team definitely the big target is to do well in the BAL. We need to go there and win matches and if we can, get to the final. Thunder is a great team and we are built for this and we can’t fail our fans.
- Finally, speaking about fans, you received so much support every time you came on. What can you tell your supporters?
- I am really appreciative because that gave me a lot of confidence. When you run into play and people are cheering for you, it builds a lot of motivation. I want to ask them to keep supporting the team and I and we will never let them down.
