Nsubuga has no regrets over walking out on VVC

Friday, December 08, 2017 — updated on January 10, 2021

Vision Volleyball Camp team members, including coach Nsubuga (R) were left puzzled during the Aziz Damani National Volleyball League finals playoffs third game against Nkumba Volleyball Club on Wednesday. Nsubuga walked out on VVC as the team lost to Nkumba. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA

KAMPALA.

Speaking to sides involved in the finals of the Aziz Damani Volleyball Playoff Series, prior to Thursday night’s Game Three, it was clear that no coach or player loves to be involved in decisive games.
Such encounters have the ability to drain people both emotionally and physically. Yet if anyone must cope, it must be coaches tasked to manage these situations – better still a man like Vision Volleyball Camp (VVC) coach Hannington Nsubuga, whose side have won seven trophies this year.
Instead, Nsubuga let the pressure get to him when his side already 2-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-21) down to Nkumba University on the night, were on the verge of letting a second league final in three years slip away.
While his side were trailing 24-18 to Nkumba in the fourth set of the ladies’ final, Nsubuga crossed over to Tonny Lakony’s end, congratulated him on “planning well and winning the final,” before turning back to take the stairs and match out at the pace his side should have played with on the night.
“I was frustrated at how we let Nkumba back from 15-18 to 24-19. The players were showing no fight and as a coach you can read the game and understand if you have a chance,” Nsubuga admitted.
Two hours after Nsubuga’s infamous walk, this reporter was involved in a chat that included the tactician and his former KAVC teammate Anthony Ashaba where the latter recounted the times the former has come back from tight situations to win games – both as a player and coach.
More recently, in the semis of these playoffs, VVC rallied to tear apart UCU from 22-14 down. UCU had picked up pace and were on the brink of forcing a decisive set when unforced errors and poor reception got VVC crawling back into it with seven unanswered points – majority of them from the power of Margaret Namyalo’s service.
“If any of my players proves to me that we could fight back from that situation, I will apologise,” added a defiant Nsubuga who surprisingly admitted his decision could hurt the image of the club.
His players, however, understand why he did what he did.
“The coach had very high expectations and when we let it slip, maybe he thought it was better to step away and see what the team could do. He is only human and who knows if it could have been worse (had he stayed),” setter Josephine Namanda, said.