Power to check Oilers in league opener

Reaching for the sky. City Oilers’ Landry Ndikumana goes for the basket against Betway Power at Lugogo last season. The two teams open the 2017/18 basketball league season at the MTN Arena, Lugogo tomorrow. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA.

What you need to know:

  • Basketball. Champions City Oilers and Betway Power will face off in the season opener of the National Basketball League on a day that will also have ladies’ champions UCU Lady Canons playing A1 Challenge.

KAMPALA. The domestic basketball season tipped off last month with the lower tiers of the Division One and Development Leagues. For many of the game’s followers however, the “real” basketball season starts tomorrow.
Champions City Oilers and Betway Power will face off in the season opener of the National Basketball League on a day that will also have ladies’ champions UCU Lady Canons playing A1 Challenge.
The league season will also herald what should be a busy 2017 for domestic basketball governing body Fuba.
“This year we continue to expect the league to grow especially in terms of competitiveness,” Fuba president Ambrose Tashobya stated at a press briefing before promising to unveil league sponsors in the coming weeks.

2017 Afrobasket
With the country taking part and finishing second at the Zone V Fiba Africa Zone V Championships, Uganda will also take part in the Afrobasket Championship due September this year in Angola.

“By going to Egypt and qualifying from the Zone V, we did two things; qualified for Afrobasket 2017 and also Fiba started a new qualification system, grading system with the top 16 countries taking part in the eventual World Cup and Olympic qualifiers.

Unique 2019 World Cup qualifiers
“If we had not gone to Egypt we would not be in the World Cup and Olympic qualifiers. That is why we were keen to travel to Egypt,” Tashobya further explained at the event held at UOC offices. The first phase of the qualifiers is expected to start next year in February.

3*3 World University tournament
Uganda will also be the only African country that will have a team 3*3 World University cup in china next month together with Egypt.
“Uganda has been identified as one the most active on the continent including Ivory Coast Egypt Angola so it was fast-tracked for the qualifiers for 2020 Olympics.