National Basketball League | Fixture

• KCCA Leopards vs JT Lady Jaguars
• UCU Canons vs D-Mark Power

UCU Canons began the 2024 National Basketball League with a 69-58 against Kampala Rockets in the game that was played at YMCA Court in Wandegeya.

But the Canons later fell to KIU Titans in the 83-52 loss in a game where they did a lot of things poorly and struggled to stage any positive talking point.

The Canons have not had the best start to the season staging a start-stop run so far, but the game against D-Mark Power gives them a great chance for them to make amends.

Canons head coach Nicholas Natuhereza noted that they have to bounce back and return to winning ways.

“We have to do everything to see that we bounce back from the loss against Titans,” Natuhereza said.

“We need to handle this game better. Things have to change so that we play better as we take on Power,” he added.

In the previous game, Canons had only two people who were Jerry Samson Kayanga and Marvin Jesse Okurut scoring a double of 10 points each. The boys will need to sharpen their attacking prowess if they are to register better results.

The Canon City will be happy to learn of the return of Jimmy Otim. The point guard was injured during last season’s quarterfinals as UCU took on Power thus setting up an interesting duel in our eyes.

“Otim is back in full training. We do not want to rush him but I hope he will feature in today’s game,” Natuhereza concluded.

On the other hand, Power kicked off the campaign with a humiliating 73-38 loss to the City Oilers.

National Basketball League defending champions City Oilers continued with their strong start to the season dispatching Our Savior on Wednesday night at the MTN Arena.

The Oilers registered a 74-38 win over Our Savior to make it two wins in as many games with a 30+ winning margin.

While they were not fluid, Oilers (2-0) controlled the game from start to finish. as. Our Savior struggled to score the basketball and also folded under pressure committing too many turnovers.

Oilers, chasing their tenth straight championship in as many seasons, won the opening quarter 23-10 and the signs for a blowout were vivid.

At the halftime break, the lead was up to 24.

Fayed Bbale who forced most of the turnovers made seven steals to go with a game-high 14 points. Edrine Walujjo (13) Titus Lual (11) and Ivan Muhwezi (10) also scored in double digits for the victors.

Moses Mugisha scored 9 points for Our Savior who suffered their first defeat. Joel Acumar had 7 points.

In the women’s division, KIU Rangers beat Magic Stormers 76-57 on skipper Ines Kanyamunza’s return. The shooting guard tallied 22 points and got support from Rose Amaniyo (15), Sharon Kirabo (14), and Liz Akol (13) came in handy.

UCU Lady Canons secured an impressive 91-50 against YMCA Lady Hamstars in the National Basketball League at Lugogo Arena.

The Lady Canons came into this game after falling to KCCA Leopard in a 74-53 loss earlier on Friday. The victory against YMCA Lady Hamstars came in handy taking the Lady Canons back on the right route.

Tracy Namugosa got the game underway with a layup before Scovia Akello responded with a jump shot from outside the paint. Throughout the first quarter, the game was close but UCU took a five-point lead (18-13).

Rose Musundi made a driving layup to fire up the Lady Hamstars but from that point onwards they went to slumber.

The Lady Canons’ defensive unit was so much on the point that it limited the Lady Hamstars to only five points in the whole quarter. It was a 24-point lead for the Mukono-based side going into the long break.

Lady Hamstars were trailing by 37 (67-30) points at the end of the third quarter as the Lady Canons were not leaving any stone unturned in the duel.

YMCA played their best basketball late in the final quarter as they dropped 20 points but UCU also responded with 24 points to bring to an end in the one-sided encounter.

Lady Hamstars’ Scovia Akello put up a thrilling individual show dropping 22 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Rose Musundi added to the tally 21 points.

For UCU, Shakira Nanvubya, Namugosa and Hajara Najjuko are the only three players who scored a double harvesting 13, 12 and 11 points respectively.

National Basketball League | Results

• UCU Lady Canons 68-61 UPDF Lady Tomahawks
• Livingstone 55-64 Ndejje Angels

UCU Lady Canons registered a 68-61 victory against UPDF Lady Tomahawks in the National Basketball League duel played at the Lugogo Arena on Wednesday, January 31.

The Lady Canons (2-0) extended their positive start to the campaign with now two victories in as many games played in the ongoing campaign.

Shillah Lamunu led the Lady Canons with 15 points and eight rebounds while Aziida Nabayunga as well dropped 15 points and six rebounds.

Christine Namyalo and Stella Maris Lunkuse scored 15 and 14 points respectively as the Lady Tomahawks tried to turn around the game late.  

The game started on a very slow note with either side struggling to convert. But still, UCU Lady Canons were the better side, creating an 11-point deficit at the end of the quarter (16-5).

The second quarter was more entertaining with both sides improving offensively. The Lady Canons finally got the ball dropping from outside the paint as the lead widened by 19 points (37-18) at the break.

Coming into the third quarter, the Lady Canons were on top of their game creating a 33-point lead with three minutes left to play. However, it was an electric end to the third quarter as Lunkuse dropped five points shortly after Namyalo’s big three-point jump shot as the Lady Tomahawks reduced the deficit to 25 points (59-34) at the end of the third quarter.

Namyalo’s jump shot from outside the paint got us underway into the final quarter breathing life into the Lady Tomahawks’ camp. It was their best block of the game as they dropped 27 points while they limited the Lady Canons to only nine.

It was interesting to see how Lady Canons head coach Nicholas Natuhereza trusted his bench to complete the game even when it looked like the Lady Tomahawks nearly took it at the death of the game.

The Lady Canons will return to action on Friday, February as they take on KCCA Leopard in a very tricky encounter.

UCU Lady Canons head coach Nicholas Natuhereza anticipates a tough duel against UPDF Lady Tomahawks in the National Basketball League duel that will be played at Lugogo Arena on Wednesday.

This will be the Lady Canons’ second league after easily going past Kampala University in week one of the ongoing campaign.

While speaking to MTN Sports, Natuhereza revealed that the team is ready to go and compete in the anticipated duel.

“The ladies are ready to compete and play the game tomorrow. It’s always good to start the season with a win and hope we can build on that,” he said.

“UPDF (Lady Tomahawks) may not have a reputation in the league but we have to take them seriously because it will be a tough duel. Hopefully, we will show that in how we play,” he added.

“They have had a good run but that was in a lower division and this is a different division. Our focus is dealing with them as much as we know them.”

Natuhereza also added that his team is blessed with several talents not having a spearhead to be given the mantle to carry the team.

“We can not say we have one or two players that are going to push us or are going to lead us every day. We expect different players to step up on different games because in the first game we gave as many players a chance.”

“Others will play way better than others due to experience so we shall discover which players those are but for now we need to just focus on playing as a team to improve,” he concluded.

Our Savior registered their second win of the season in as many games after beating Nam Blazers 75-65 on Sunday at the MTN Arena in Lugogo.

They, however, needed to overcome a 17-point deficit to beat a side that was in the finals a couple of seasons ago and also regarded as contenders this term.

The Blazers were in charge after the first quarter and had a massive 17-point lead at halftime as they excelled offensively both in transition and in the halfcourt.

However, in the third quarter, Our Savior had a different approach to the game, especially on defense which set them up for good offensive possession cutting the deficit to zero by the end of the third quarter.

Our Savior carried the momentum into the fourth quarter to register victory led by Joseph Wacha and Moses Mugisha who scored 17 points apiece.

In the other men’s game played, JKL Dolphins beat KCCA Pathers 69-64.

Arthur Wanyoto (17), Martin Ouma (12) and Austin Odhiambo (10) led the Dolphins while Ceasar Kizito scored a game-high 18 points on his debut for KCCA.

KIU Titans have confirmed the departure of atleast five players who prominently featured for the side last season as they reached the National Basketball League finals.

Leading the cast is Congolese big man Amisi Saidi and forward Denis Balungu. The other players include former skipper Joseph Chuma, Innocent Ochera and Isaiah Ater Mabeny.

The five players were crucial as the Titans finished runners-up in the National Basketball League in the 2023 season.

Chuma has been an incredible part of KIU Titans’ story for the last six years and his unbridled passion for the game and club can never be disputed. The forward joined KIU in 2017 and leaves the club as a darling to the fans and has joined Namuwongo Blazers along with Ochera.

Apart from Isaiah Ater Mabeny who joined KIU Titans in 2022, the other three players Balungu, Innocent Ochera and Amisi Saidi the club in 2023.

City Oilers on Friday appointed Andrew Tendo as the new head coach for the side, replacing, Mandy Juruni who will be joining Rwandan side Kepler.

Tendo who had been the assistant to Juruni since hanging up his sneakers was announced at a short function held at Doğtaş in Kampala.

“Tendo is our head coach. Continuity was important for us and so, the decision was very easy,” Club president Santur Mohammed said of the appointment.

“We will give Tendo all the support he needs for us tobe successful, we want him to be his own man. We dont compromise when it comes to success so we obviously expect it to continue,” Santur added.

The first-year head coach will be assisted by Ben Komakech who will serve as a coach-player next season that starts late January.

“I’m shocked!” Komakech said when asked tocomment on the appointment.

The two will take charge starting with the upcoming NBL season that starts late January 2024

Mandy Juruni has been appointed the new Head Coach for Kepler Basketball Club.

A celebrated coach in the African game with 12 top-tier league titles (10 men) in Ugandan basketball, Juruni takes a wealth of experience to Kepler having coached both men’s and women’s basketball teams.

His journey is highlighted by multiple triumphs, including leading the City Oilers to multiple Uganda League Championships between 2012 and 2023 and winning the Zone V Championship in 2017 and 2019.

On the national stage, Juruni served as the head coach for the Uganda National Team during the Afrobasket championships in 2015 and 2017 and for the World Cup Qualifiers in 2018 and 2022.

“I am excited to join the Kepler family and look forward to leveraging my experience to build a robust and competitive basketball program here. My goal is to not only win games but also to develop well-rounded athletes who excel both on and off the court,” Coach Juruni stated as quoted by the club website.

René Sahabu, Associate Director of Sports at Kepler, highlighted the significance of Juruni’s appointment.

“We are proud to have Coach Mandy Juruni onboard. His proven track record and commitment to excellence align perfectly with our mission to nurture top-tier athletic talent. We believe his leadership will be central in propelling Kepler’s basketball program to new heights,” he said.

Accredited by the Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA) in December 2022, Kepler Basketball Club graduated to Rwanda’s basketball elite Division 1 for the 2024 season after a successful 2023 season.

National Basketball League champions City Oilers will feature in season four of the Basketball Africa League.

Oilers will be making a back-to-back appearance in Africa’s premier club competition following the semifinal win in the Road to BAL Elite 16 East Division tournament in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Mandy Juruni’s charges beat Dynamo of Burundi 72-61 at Ellis Park Arena on Friday afternoon to achieve the feat.

Oilers started strong winning the first quarter 19-5 and never looked back even when Dynamo came close at certain points in the game.

Robinson Opong led the way with 17 points (knocking down five 3-pointers) and 8 rebounds. Parrish Petty and Titus Odeke added 14 points each while Germaine Roebuck contributed 13 points.

The Oilers await the winner between Cape Town Tigers and COSPN to face in the finals of the Division.