Fuba set to embrace reforms

Kampala- Domestic basketball governing body - Fuba - are considering a number of changes as they look to minimixe the effect of the current lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Like all sports disciplines, basketball has been affected by the global pandemic with Fuba forced to call off the start of the league season on March 20.

With the lockdown extended until May 5, Fuba will at least be two months behind schedule when any league action takes place.
“We have plans to finish the season before end of October, if at all we start in the first week of June as we have projected,” Fuba president Nasser Sserunjogi told Daily Monitor yesterday.

There were suggestions fronted in the fraternity for a change in format that would see the topflight National Basketball (NBL) League played in a round-robin format like is the case in the lower divisions.

Sserunjogi however believes the league can still be completed with a few modifications to the old format.

“The plan is not really to play a round robin as some people have suggested. The plan is to increase the number of games played by each team every week. Teams have been playing one game each week, sometime once in two weeks but now teams shall play a minimum of two games and maximum of three in a week,” he further explained.

This could see the number of venues increased from mainly the MTN Arena in Lugogo and YMCA Wandegeya that are often used.
“We shall also have more games over the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. We also intend to use multiple venues on a game day, also increase the number of game days.

“We also plan to have some weekends at UCU where we can use three courts at the same time. So that’s the plan all other factors being constant and assuming we are able to start by June,” Sserunjogi added.

Last season’s NBL like was the case in 2016 was concluded in January this year with City Oilers winning a seventh straight crown that makes them the most successful side in domestic history.

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