04 September 2024 | Basketball

Uganda U18 Boys' National Basketball Team, Junior Silverbacks, start the 2024 FIBA U18 Afrobasket campaign against Angola in the Group B encounter on Wednesday.

It's the Junior Silverbacks’ third appearance at the AfroBasket following their debut in 2016 in Kigali - Rwanda, and in 2018 in Bamako, Mali, where they settled for 9th and 10th, respectively.

In Angola, a four-time champion and the team with the most appearances in the tournament’s history, Uganda faces a stern test but their performance in the qualifiers gives optimism even with defending champions Egypt and record seven-time winners Nigeria in the same group.

The Junior Silverbacks earned their spot in this tournament by winning the FIBA U18 Zone V Championship earlier this year.

Uganda has some impressive talent including Joel Rugette, who was instrumental in their Zone V triumph, averaging 10 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. Rugette is not new to continental events, having averaged 27 points at the U16 Afrobasket in Tunisia last year.

The squad features many of the players who shone in the Zone V Championship, including Edrine Ekau, Mukisa Nkugwa, Aaron Victor Makmot, Brighton Galiwango, and Peter Sserunjogi.

Uganda faced Angola at the 2016 FIBA U18 Afrobasket, where they suffered a heavy 59-105 defeat.

Groups

• Group A: Mali, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal.
• Group B: Egypt, Angola, Angola, Nigeria.
• Group C: South Africa, Morocco, Zambia, Rwanda.

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