Boost as Th3 Swish lands partnership with Pioneer 101

“This whole thing started with my sister Felmas Koranga, who was the first Kenyan to play NCAA Division I basketball in the USA. I felt inspired and thought we could get more girls to play, and this led me to founding the team,” he said.

RIGHT TO LEFT (SEATED): Cynthia Mmumbo - CEO Sports Connect Africa, Michael Nicholson - CEO Afrique U and Ariel Okal - Founder TH3 Swish; with the club's players behind them during the launch of partnership between the club and Afrique U in Nairobi - Kenya.

AfriqueU CEO Michael Nicholson, through his affiliate company Pioneer 101, signed a memorandum of understanding with Th3 Swish, a women’s basketball team co-owned by his business partner and Nairobi City Thunder player Ariel Okal, at The Mandrake in Nairobi on Friday.

Speaking in Westlands - Nirobi, Nicholson said the three-year partnership would focus on developing Th3 Swish into a competitive team on the continental stage.

“It’s a three-year partnership. Within three years, we want to see Th3 Swish cut the nets as the champions of Africa,” Nicholson said.

The agreement also outlines plans to create pathways for players to access educational scholarships abroad while pursuing basketball opportunities in the United States and Australia.

“AfriqueU is about developing pathways for players, especially the young ones from Africa, to the United States. They get an education and get to pursue a career in basketball,” Nicholson said.

He said Th3 Swish’s status as a community-based professional club distinguished it from many Kenyan basketball teams affiliated with institutions.

“What we are doing here is different. Th3 Swish is a professional club not backed by institutions like most Kenyan basketball teams. It comes from the community. We want to take advantage of the commercial opportunities that the women’s game is having globally,” he said.

Okal said the partnership would provide the team with additional support while retaining its existing culture.

“This partnership is a game changer. It changes the perspective of how the team runs. The culture remains the same, but the girls will have a renewed mindset to play the game more professionally,” Okal said.

He said the team was inspired by his sister, Felmas Koranga, who became the first Kenyan to play NCAA Division I basketball in the United States.

“This whole thing started with my sister Felmas Koranga, who was the first Kenyan to play NCAA Division I basketball in the USA. I felt inspired and thought we could get more girls to play, and this led me to founding the team,” he said.

Th3 Swish are now targeting a place in the Kenya National Basketball League play-offs, with the partnership coming as the team seeks to strengthen its competitive and developmental structures.