Juruni wants holistic change
Basketball. City Oilers coach Juruni instructing his players in a time-out this season. He believes that the experience gained from playing at the highest level of African club basketball will make Oilers a better team as they plan on how to get back to this tournament
Cairo. Ninth place is far from ideal for the ambitions of City Oilers at the Fiba Africa Club Champions’ Cup in Egypt.
As the 31st edition reaches its climax today here in North Africa, their coach Mandy Juruni saw the cup as half-full rather than half-empty.
The three-time defending Uganda league champions won one of their five games at the most elite of club basketball competitions in Africa. “The quality here is very high,” Juruni said yesterday, differing slightly from his assessment before departure.
“60% of the guys who were playing at the (2015) Afrobasket come out of Africa. Now, we are playing against African players,” he said last month.
Happy coach
However, Juruni is content with the team’s performances at the King Abdallah Faisal Arena, Al Ahly Club gymnasium.
“Honestly, as City Oil we did very well, competing with teams that have been here couple of times, losing fourth quarters mainly.
“(It) makes me pleased that we are not far away behind,” he says.
With exception to the comprehensive 44-98 mauling at the hands of Angola’s CRD Libolo, Oilers pushed G.S.P and AS Sale close before losing 77-69 and 83-72 respectively.
You could even argue that they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, missing three out of four free throws in the final minute of regulation to lose 67-65 to Cameroon’s BEAC in overtime.
The 88-69 rout of Nzui-Manto of Cameroon at the Fiba Africa Zone V Club Champions to get ninth place on Wednesday came as a relief. “I know the leagues in the other parts of Africa are much better than ours. So I knew we would find stiff competition.
“In East Africa, we are still playing amateur or semi-professional. The north and west play professional.
“I think they (my players) did well. Our challenge was having 10 players that can play at the same level, that’s our biggest challenge.
First time
“Players have seen how far behind we are. It was the first time for most of the players, especially the starting five,” the coach says. That five consists of Stanley Ociti, Kami Kabange, Landry Ndikumana, Jimmy Enabu and Ben Komakech.
“Our first five was as good as any. It has given me an idea of what to do improve the team,” Juruni, also the national team coach, assesses.
“We have to change the way we do things back home, the way we train,” he advised.
“We want to improve the team. As City Oil we will work so hard to get back here. Definitely it’s not going to be easy,” Juruni concludes.
