Nairobi City Thunder coach Bradley Ibs has been named Betika/SJAK Coach of the Month for November.
Bradley guided Nairobi City Thunder to back-to-back qualification for the main 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) tournament.
In front of a packed crowd at the Kasarani Indoor Gymnasium in Nairobi, the City Thunder basketball team made history by beating Mozambique’s Ferroviario da Beira 109–70 to secure their place in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
The Kenyan champions, coached by Bradley Ibs and making their debut in the premier African men’s club competition last year, repeated the feat by qualifying at home. They became the first team in this year’s East Division Elite 16 to hit a century in points.
The swashbuckling Thunder Tactician beat a strong filed of nominees among them unbeaten Kenya Police FC Bullets coach David Vijago, Kenya Morans’ Kevin Wambua who guided the Kenya Sevens team to an unbeaten victory in the Zambezi 7s.
Speaking during the presentation ceremony, Betika Marketing Executive Ms. Marya Wachira acknowledged the increased competitiveness among the shortlisted Coaches as a strong indicator of the improved performance for Kenyan teams across the different sports disciplines.
“The depth of this month’s nominees reflects a big truth: Kenyan coaches are raising the bar across every sport. Betika is honored to support this advancement and to acknowledge the achievements and dedication that make it possible—every month,” noted Ms. Marya.
Other nominees were Kenya Lionesses coach Simon Odongo who led the team to a second-place finish at the Africa Women’s 7s event in Nairobi, losing to South Africa in the final.
Also nominated for the award was Caroline Kola – Coach of the Tokyo 2025 Kenya Summer Deaflympics team. Kola, spearheaded Kenya’s spirited haul of 15 medals (5 Gold, 6 Silver, 4 Bronze) from the 25th edition of the global showpiece in the Japanese Capital.
Junior Stars coach William Muluya was also in the November mix for guiding his team to the semis of the AFCON Under-17 Qualifiers.
Other nominees were Kenya Ports Authority Coach Antony Ojukwu who guided KPA to a slot in the Women’s Basketball League Africa in Cairo, Egypt set to begin on December 5th and Kenya Police FC coach Dusan Stojanovic who spearheaded an unbeaten run in the Kenya Premier League the whole of November.
Bradley Ibs was all smiles as he received the monthly award: “I’m thrilled to receive this award,” said Coach Ibs. “I’m proud of my team’s hard work and dedication. We’re excited to represent Kenya on the continental stage again.”
SJAK President James Waindi congratulated Coach Ibs, saying, “This award recognizes Coach Ibs’ outstanding contribution to Kenyan basketball. He’s an inspiration to many, and we’re honored to have him leading the charge.”
