Silverbacks have work cut out

2026-03-06 - 13:36

The Uganda men’s basketball team now turn their focus to the next round of fixtures in the 2027 Fiba World Cup qualifiers. Following their three losses in the first round of games against African champions, Angola 68- 90 on February 26, Mali 73-84 on February 28, and Egypt 52-91 on March 1, the Silverbacks will be facing the aforementioned teams again in July. However, Uganda will go into that round of games bottom of the log. Yet, to qualify among the 12 teams that will compete in the third round of games, Uganda must not finish bottom of their group. But how can the Silverbacks ensure that there is a turn around of fortunes? In the view of many, the odds are clearly stuck against Uganda. But like the team coach, Mandy Juruni pointed out, having early preparations is non-negotiable. Before starting their World Cup qualifiers, the whole team of 12 players, only trained together for less than a week. The lack of team chemistry is easily going to be exploited by teams like Angola, Mali and Egypt that are more established. Because a number of Silverbacks players were playing together for the first time, their movement on and off the ball was unlikely to be in-sync over a short period of time they had spent together in training. Therefore, the high ball turn- over became inevitable. Yet, all Uganda’s opponents benefited from that significantly, which aided their wins. As Juruni pointed out in his post-match interview on Sunday, the team did not manage the ball well, and as a result, they were punished for it. On the many times Uganda’s point-guards were double-teamed by the opponents, it meant that the coordination and support for each other on the team, through movement was lacking. In addition, a team’s propensity to win games at such a level is dependent on their ability to beat the opponent’s set defence more times than the opponent is able to beat theirs. Ultimately, that comes down to putting in the work on the training ground, which Uganda does for a brief spell, only when they have a tournament to compete in. Since the Afrobasket tournament last August, the Silverbacks never assembled again until a week before the World Cup qualifiers started. It goes without saying that the Federation of International Basketball Associations (Fiba) and its calendar does not help matters. Considering that basketball competitions around the world continue to take place even during this window of global qualifiers, clubs, universities and colleges, especially in the USA, where the best players ply their trade, only release players at their discretion. Against that background, Uganda has not been able to field some of its best players like Arthur Kaluma, who is in the Los Angeles Lakers, let alone his brother, Adam Seiko. Had those two been on the current Silverbacks team, performances would most likely be better. But without them, therein lay another problem. First, the team has so much inexperienced players, who are yet to match the international standards. Secondly, that affected the team’s rotation. The coach could only rely on a few players to deliver. Yet, considering the intensity of basketball at that level, there was bound to be burnout and fatigue for the few players the coach relied on. It showed in the final game against Egypt, with the low score. While a team like Mali has many of its players in Europe and France, in established leagues, but only a couple play at home, Egypt, and Angola, on the other hand, have at least half of their squad based at home. Essentially, they have established strong domestic leagues. That should not be a far cry for Uganda. But investment in the game is required, as former Silverbacks assistant coach, Tom Ocamringa noted. “We have to be intentional on what we want to achieve in the sport. But to do it, we must draw a plan and follow it to the latter,” Ocamringa said. Back in 2005/2006, Uganda hosted the Fiba Africa Zone Five basketball tournament, that used to pit the likes of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Sudan and Ethiopia against it. A one Ivan Enabu, 20, was picked as Uganda’s lead point-guard, while playing in the second tier. Enabu came and dazzled, playing alongside Henry and Eric Malinga, Norman Blick, Ken Balyejusa, and the late Wilbrod Okecho among others. Then, the whole national team was home-based, yet the talent was evident. But today, a host of domestic coaches you talk to, do not believe their players stand a chance of playing for the Silverbacks, because for the last decade, Silverbacks players and coaches have come from City Oilers, the 10-time champions. That has killed the competitiveness in the National Basketball League, hence affecting the Silverbacks’ competitiveness, too. Just imagine if there was a sample size of 30 players domestically competing for 12 slots, and the quality it would bring. That said, the Silverbacks are coached by individuals, who are not in the country, which begs the question: How do they scout the players, or do they depend on past history? Perhaps, it would be prudent, that Juruni is named substantive head coach. He then returns to the country, where his welfare is properly catered for, allowing him to concentrate on improving domestic players through more regular training sessions. With Juruni working with the local coaches, and having the domestic players at least once every week for training, would accomplish a lot in the team than just the hash- hash programme of heading out for world cup qualifiers, after just hardly a week of training together.