NAIROBI, Kenya, June 25 – They say lightning never strikes the same place twice, but Kenyan basketball superstar Madina Okot is rewriting the rules in her breakout WNBA rookie season.
Despite the Atlanta Dream suffering a tough competitive setback against the Golden State Valkyries, Madina, 21, put on a masterclass in interior efficiency, scoring 16 points and recording 5 rebounds to earn her the team’s official Player of the Game honors.
Facing a highly tactical Golden State frontcourt, Okot picked up where she left off in her previous career-high outing, relentlessly converting her opportunities and providing the Dream with an irreplaceable offensive spark.
While the individual accolades belonged to the Kenyan prodigy, the ultimate team result left a bitter taste for Atlanta, after the Valkyries managed to hold on to Okot’s scoring surge to hand the Dream a frustrating defeat.
Nevertheless, Okot’s back-to-back scoring clinics give head coach Karl Smesko motivation for the grueling regular-season schedule.
If the young rookie continues to dominate the glass and shoot at a near-80 percent clip, it will not be long before she forces her way into a permanent starting role, carrying Kenyan and African basketball representation to unprecedented heights on the global stage.
