Nairobi — National men’s sevens team player Jeff Oluoch says he will be wearing jersey number 24 for the upcoming Hong Kong Sevens and the Singapore leg set early next month because of its significance in his life.
Oluoch will be celebrating his birthday on April 2 and notes that he has always been inspired by fallen Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant who also wore the same jersey number during his playing days.
“Well, six is my lucky number so I did the math and two plus four adds up to six so I chose 24. It is also the date of my birth, which is the 2nd of April and then again, the late Kobe (Bryant), who was a legend, was my role model and he also wore number 24,” he explained.
He is one of two players – the other being Johnstone Olindi – who are returning to the national sevens squad that was named today by coach Damian McGrath.
“It feels good to be back in the shift…I have been putting in a shift and it feels good to be back. There are massive expectations from everyone but we know the boys won’t let you down,” Oluoch, who recently graduated as a police officer from the Administration Police Training College, said.
His last appearance for the national team was at the Rugby Sevens World Cup in November last year in Cape Town, South Africa, where the Kenyans exited in the round of 16 after a 22-07 loss to Argentina.
On his part, Olindi last played for Shujaa at the Dubai and Cape Town Sevens where the team ended in 11th and 13th position respectively.
Oluoch rallied the fans together, noting that the team remains focused on bettering their performances in upcoming competitions.
“To all our fans out there, we thank you for the support. We still need you for the upcoming assignments and we are sure we’ll earn our slot and keep the side afloat as a core team,” he said.
In Hong Kong, Shujaa have been placed in Pool D where they begin their campaign against New Zealand on March 31 before playing against Ireland and South Africa a day later.
Shujaa squad to Hong Kong and Singapore: Daniel Taabu, George Ooro, Billy Odhiambo, Kevin Wekesa, Tony Omondi, Herman Humwa, Nelson Oyoo (Captain), Johnstone Olindi, Edmund Anya, Brian Tanga, John Okoth, Alvin Otieno, Jeff Oluoch
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