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Profile and Biography of Silalei Shani-Owuor

Author:  Published Date: June 14, 2014

Silalei Shani-Owuor in action in the Kenyan league

Her full name is Silalei Agalo Shani-Owuor. She has been one of the most prominent players on the Kenya basketball scene and a key performer in the recent success of Kenya women’s basketball teams at regional and continental level. Early Days She was born in Kenya but her family lived in several locations all over the globe including – Zambia Mauritania, Senegal and eventually settled in the USA. Owuor’s love of basketball began when she was only 7-years-old and she played with her father and brothers. It was at age 13 that she realized that she had a knack for basketball. When I was about 13 yearsold and I realized I could play and keep up with adult players during pick-up games. said Silalei in an interview with FIBA Africa. Silalei credits both her parents with her success at basketball. My mum introduced it and encouraged us to play each day from school but my dad took it up to teach us the fundamentals at a very young age.Being a former player, he also used to join us in playing frequently. But my height comes from my mum’s side and my hop is from my day’s Maasai background”. said Silalei in an interview. Silalei’s mother is from Chemelil in Kisumu county whereas her father is from

 Silalei Shani at Messiah College

Upon completing high school, Silalei joined Messiah College and soon joined the basketball team. She did not see any action during her freshman season. “it was not until the second year that my coach started noticing my consistent and persistent performance” said Silalei. In the 2006-2007 season, she appeared in 25 games, averaging 9.0 points per game with a shooting percentage of 51.3% . Her free throw percentage was 81.3%. Ge totaled 67 rebounds, 22 assists, 17 blocks During the NCAA Tournament game she led the team in rebounding. During her junior season (2007-2008) she played a key role to help the team reach the national championship final. She came off the bench for all 33 games playing an average of 17 minutes per game and had a scoring average of 9.6 ppg which was second on the team. She was second in the team with 4.8 rebounds per game. She also led the team in blocks with 36 blocks in 33 games. In her last season at Messiah College (2008-2009) , Silalei had now established herself in the starting five. She played a pivotal role in helping her team to a record of 11 wins and one loss, a record that enabled them to finish at the top of the Commonwealth conference standings. She started all 28 games. She led the team in rebounds (9.3 rpg) , led the team in blocks (57 blocks in 28 games) and was joint second in scoring (12.5 ppg). Her 57 blocks were also the highest in the entire Commonwealth conference. From an academic perspective, Silalei left Messiah college with a degree in Human resource management.

In her last season at Messiah College (2008-2009) , Silalei had now established herself in the starting five. She played a pivotal role in helping her team to a record of 11 wins and one loss, a record that enabled them to finish at the top of the Commonwealth conference standings. She started all 28 games. She led the team in rebounds (9.3 rpg) , led the team in blocks (57 blocks in 28 games) and was joint second in scoring (12.5 ppg). Her 57 blocks were also the highest in the entire Commonwealth conference. From an academic perspective, Silalei left Messiah college with a degree in Human resource management.

 Silalei returns to Kenya joins Eagle Wings

In Mid 2010, Silalei returned to Kenya after having been away from the country for almost her entire life. “I wanted to come back to my native land to just immerse myself in my traditional culture, learn Swahili and understand the people better”. In July 2010 she joined Eagle wings. “My I landed at Eagle Wings by accident in July 2010 courtesy of my cousin, he asked me whether I wanted to play basketball and having missed the game so much I accompanied him to their training base. Funny enough after the day’s training session, they took me in and requested me to join them for their league matches.” Eagle wings has been one of the most positive story-lines in the sporting landscape of Kenya. Despite not having a sponsor, they have maintained their position as one of the best teams in Kenya in the past few years. It is a committed group of players who often pay for their own training yet have the wherewithal to beat corporate teams. They have represented Kenya well in several tournaments. Their crowning moment came at the 2013 Africa club championship for women where Eagle wings finished 3rd including a memorable win over First Deepwater of Nigeria.

 Silalei Shani in the national team

Silalei Shani off the court

In 2014, Silalei Shani was picked by pay TV company, Zuku to anchor a new TV show called BAQE. The show features commentary about the Zuku sponsored University basketball league.


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