Munene rallies Zetech Sparks after shaky start

Zetech Sparks' Everlyne Diana and Quinter AChieng in action during a past match/ HANDOUT

Zetech Sparks head coach Job Munene has attributed his side’s inconsistent start in the Women’s Basketball Premier League to squad disruptions and defensive lapses following a reshuffle in the technical bench.

The former silver medallists have begun the season without long-serving head coach Maurice Obilo, who has since joined Stanbic Aces, leaving Munene to manage a transitional period.

Zetech started with a 71–63 win over Lady Titans, but their momentum was halted over the weekend after a 72–64 defeat to UON Dynamites in a tightly contested varsity derby.

Munene pointed to execution gaps and squad instability as key factors behind the setback, noting that he has been forced to rely on players from Division One due to multiple absentees.

He admitted there was confidence within the group heading into the fixture.

“Some of us were confident that we were going to win because the team we were playing had never beaten us,” he said.

Despite the defeat, he felt there were positives in spells of the game.

“Nevertheless, we had control of our defence and our offence at the end,” Munene added, even as lapses proved costly.

The coach said constant rotation has affected team rhythm as he continues to manage depth challenges.

“I did play more players from Division One because we’ve lost five key players, and we still have to keep on pushing, keep on fighting,” he said.

Looking ahead, Munene has urged his players to show greater resilience in what he describes as a highly demanding competition.

“I’ve told them the league is like a dogfight, whoever wants it more wins,” he said.

Despite the uneven start, he remains confident the team can recover by tightening their defence and improving consistency across all four quarters as the season progresses.