Juruni demands one final hustle

KAMPALA.

Mandy Juruni is a person whose word count is symmetrical to his diminutive frame which demanded that he fought for everything in heydays as a player.

Due to his affection for basketball’s fundamentals, he made a seamless transition from being a point guard to coaching. There is little surprise that he has succeeded as a coach.

However, never before has Juruni had to explain himself as much as the past one week as his City Oilers have laboured at their maiden Fiba Africa Club Champions’ Cup here in Cairo, Egypt.
Four defeats in as many games have left the three-time defending Ugandan league champions having to fight for ninth with Cameroon’s Nzui-Manto today.

“We deserve better than what we have got so far,” Juruni told Daily Monitor ahead of that game at the King Abdallah Faisal Arena, Al Ahly Club gymnasium.

“We are a better team than this. Tomorrow (today) is no different as we will keep going. What option do we have?” he asked.
What Oilers need is one big free throw that they missed against Cameroon’s BEAC. One smooth drive from Jimmy Enabu or a rebound by Landry Ndikumana will do too.

“There is other way – we have to win,” guard Jonah Otim vowed. The mood within the team, perhaps buoyed by a trip to the pyramids yesterday, is clearly that this is a must-win game – a Game Seven.
After arriving from the Egyptian port city of Alexandria where Fiba Africa Zone V champions held a 10-day camp, there were hardly signs that was going to be a slide of such magnitude.

Everyone was positive in a manner than not even an opening 77-69 loss to Algeria’s G.S.P could deflate the confidence. Then came an 83-72 defeat by AS Sale of Morocco.

Oilers were competitive in both but lacked the killer instinct while oscillating through the four periods, something you cannot afford against this kind of opposition.

The 67-65 victory by the aggressive BEAC felt like a pin piercing a balloon. Oilers were emotionally drained and finished group B with a 98-44 hammering by Angola’s RCD Libolo.

That is the past now as the other top four from the two groups of the 10-team tournament head into the quarterfinals from this afternoon.

Stanley Ociti went cold offensively in the latter two defeats but among the plenty of lessons about Nzui-Manto should be the physicality Oilers got from BEAC.

Kami Kabange’s ability to put the ball through the white nets will be crucial even as his other contributions need an upgrade as this will feel like a decisive Game Seven.