With just weeks after resigning from his role as the Uganda Women Basketball national team, Gazelles, Alberto Antuna has been appointed the head coach of Senegal’s ladies’ basketball team.

The announcement was made public by the Senegal Basketball Federation Wednesday, November 8, 2023 via it’s official social media handles.

Though the statement the federation revealed that the appointment was due to Antuna’s deep understanding of the game as well as a vast coaching experience more so with the ladies.

“After thorough consideration of numerous applications, both local and foreign, we are proud to select the Spanish coach, Alberto Antuna to take helm of the team,” the statement partly reads.

“His deep understanding of African basketball and extensive coaching experience set him apart,” he added.

Antuna replaces Moustapha Gaye whose retirement left an open role that has now been filled by the Spanish gaffer.

Antuna helped the Gazelles finish seventh in the just concluded the Women Afrobasket that was held in Kigali.

JKL Lady Dolphins advanced to the semifinals of the Africa Women Basketball League Qualifiers 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda.

The National Basketball League champions beat Rwanda’s Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR), 75-58, to reach the last four.

Brenda Ekone led the charge for the Ugandans with 22 points and five rebounds. Ritah Imanishimwe also shone the night, hitting six 3-pointers for 18 points.

League MVP Hope Akello dominated the interior with 11 points and 12 rebounds and got enough help from Beck Longom who also notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Lady Dolphins will battle Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in the semifinals this evening (6:00 p.m., EAT), with automatic qualification to the Africa Women Basketball League at stake.

The Africa Women Basketball League will take place in Egypt from December 8-17.

City Oilers were on Wednesday night crowned the 2023 National Basketball League champions, their 9th consecutive title.

This achievement was reached after a thrilling game six of the playoff finals in which they outclassed KIU Titans 78-63 to win the series 4-2.

The strength in depth was on the show as the Oilers got significant contributions from all over the floor.

Veteran guard Jimmy Enabu led the charge with a 19-point performance with Fayed Baale, who is taking over the mantle, adding 18 points.

Titus Lual who was later named the league MVP and also made part of the All-Star 5 contributed 14 points.

Peter Obleng and Collins Kasujja led KIU’s fight with 15 and 13 points respectively.

City Oilers focus turns to the Elite 16 qualifying round for season four of the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

Oilers compete in the East Division of the Elite 16 and will run between November 14-19 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

• National Basketball League Finals
• Sunday, October 15, 2023
• KIU Rangers 48-62 JKL Lady Dolphins (Series tied 1-1)

JKL Lady Dolphins registered a 62-48 victory over KIU Rangers in Game 2 of the National Basketball League finals at YMCA Court, Wandegeya on Sunday.

The victory brought the best-of-seven series to level keeping the fans anticipating what lies ahead.

In game one, KIU Rangers walked away with a point lead (50-49) after Perus Nyamwenge’s clutch three-point shot to win it at the death.

However, the two-time champions returned well-motivated to regain their footing in the ongoing series.

KIU Rangers led the first quarter 16-15 but at half-time, they were trailing by six (24-30) as JKL Lady Dolphins ascended into the lead.

Coming back from the long break, the Lady Dolphins instead got stronger and won the third (16-10) and fourth (16-14) quarters respectively.

Becky Longom led the scoring board dropping 15 points and pulling down 18 rebounds to take home a personal double-double.

Hope Akello continued her stellar performance contributing 12 points and 19 rebounds in yet another double-double performance.

Brenda Ekone and Rita Imanishimwe were the other two able to score a double as each carded 10 points.

For the KIU Titans, only Nyamwenge scored in double figures after dropping 16 points.

The two sides will play in game three on Wednesday, October 18 at Lugogo Arena.

Alberto Antuna has left his role as head coach of the Uganda Women’s National Basketball Team, Gazelles.

The development for Antuna’s departure was made public on Monday, October 16th, 2023.\ through his social media.

“I am sure it’s not a goodbye but until next time UG,” the statement partly read.

“I would never have thought that in such a short time, being part of something as big as Gazelles would make me feel like a coach in such a deep way,” he continued.

“I want to express my gratitude, especially to the players. To those who stood by me in February and during Afrobasket, thank you FUBA and President Nasser Sserujongi.”

“It’s time to bid farewell,” the Spaniard gaffer signed out.

Thank you @FubaBasketball GRACIAS @GazellesUG 🙏🏻🇺🇬. pic.twitter.com/CLUZld8svw

— Alberto Antuña (@albertoantuna91) October 16, 2023

Antuna guided the Gazelles to a huge seventh-place finish at the just-concluded 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket.

His departure leaves the basketball faithful in a cold mood due to the strides of development that have been made under his tutelage.

Reports indicate Nicholas Natuhereza who was his assistant will be in charge of the team before FUBA confirms Alberto’s replacement.

KIU Rangers announced their arrival on the National Basketball League Playoff Finals stage by beating two-time winners JKL Lady Dolphins on Friday night.

Playing their first-ever finals game, the Rangers needed Perus Nyamwenge’s 3-pointer with 6 seconds on the clock to take the series-opening game 50-49 at YMCA in Wandegeya.

In the first quarter, either side struggled to score the basketball but the lady Dolphins had the edge taking it 11-9.

The second quarter was equally low-scoring but it was Rangers that had the edge, netting 12 points while limiting their opponents to just 6.

The halftime talk worked for either side at least offensively as both sides improved in the second half. Rangers dominated the opening five minutes of the third quarter leading by as many as 9 points but went cold later on as the Lady Dolphins quickly got back into the game.

It was a 2-point game at the start of the final quarter with Rangers leading 33-31 that they quickly stretched to 7 points but JKL never fell further behind.

In fact, last year’s losing finalists came back into the game took a 2-point lead (49-47) late in the game and looked destined for Game One victory. However, a play from a time-out gave Nyamwenge a chance to shoot for the win with 6 seconds to play and she hit the game-winning shot.

Nyamwenge finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds and as many assists, Ines Kanyamunza contributed 15 points from the bench and Mary Amaniyo laid the foundation with a game-high 18 points to go with 7 boards.

On the other hand, Evelyn Nakiyingi notched a double-double of 10 points and as many rebounds while Rita Imanishimwe and Brenda Ekone scored 11 and 15 points respectively.

Game 2 of the series will be played on Sunday, 15th October.

KIU Rangers have qualified for the Women’s National Basketball League Playoff finals for the first time in their history.

To achieve the feat, Rangers defeated league newcomers JT Lady Jaguars 3-0 in the best-of-five semifinals.

In the pivotal Game 3 played at YMCA in Wandegeya on Sunday, the Rangers dominated the Jaguars running away with a 62-43 victory and a series win.

Right fromthe start, KIU were intentional and established their dominance, leading 29-10 after the first quarter and never looking back.

Rose Amaniyo who has been a star of the series played a crucial role in the victory with 18 points and an impressive 18 rebounds. Sharon Kirabo contributed 14 points as the Rangers dominated the inside.

On the other hand, no Lady Jaguar reached double digits in scoring with Sarafina Drichuru and Brenda Kayaga both finishing with 9 points each.

KIU Rangers will now take on two-time champions JKL Lady Dolphins in the seven-game finals

City Oilers are through to the National Basketball League Playoff Finals for the ninth year running.

The eight-time champions swept Our Savior 3-0 in the best-of-five semifinal following a 76-51 triumph in Game 3 on Sunday.

It was shooting guard Ivan Muhwezi who led the way for the Oilers at YMCA in Wandegeya with a game-high 18 points.

Ruak Ruai also scored 18 points and picked 8 rebounds in a game the champions dominated from start to finish. Former captain Jimmy Enabu added 15 points.

Oilers led 15-12 at the end of the first quarter and by halftime, the writing was on the wall as the lead had ballooned to 11 points (34-23).

While Our Savior competed in the third quarter, they barely competed in the final quarter as the Oilers ran away to a 25-point victory.

Kenneth Mesho scored 9 points to lead Our Savior who were making the semifinals for the first time. Davis Asiimwe and Henry Ssebagala contributed 7 points each.

City Oilers will be aiming to win an unprecedented ninth consecutive title when they take on KIU Titans. The two sides last met in the 2018 finals.

JKL Lady Dolphins avenged last year’s loss to UCU Lady Canons in the National Basketball League Playoffs Finals by sweeping the university side.

The Lady Dolphins beat the Lady Canons 75-65 on Friday night to sweep the best-of-five series 3-0 to advance to the finals where they will start as overwhelming favourites to win the title.

Going into Friday’s encounter, UCU Lady Canons faced a must-win situation after losing their first two games against JKL.

The university side had a 38-37 lead at halftime, but JKL surged back, dominating the third quarter with a score of 26-15 as Brenda Ekone knocked down three triples. JKL never let go of their advantage throughout the game.

Hope Akello finished with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds to power the Dolphins. Rita Imanishimwe and Ekone contributed 17 and 16 points respectively while Flavia Oketcho handed out 8 assists.

On the UCU side, Bridget Aber also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Shakira Nanvubya and Aziida Nabayunga contributed 10 points apiece.

KIU Rangers are odds on to make their maiden appearance in the National Basketball League Playoffs Finals.

The Rangers took command of their five-game semifinal series against JT Lady Jaguars following a narrow 70-67 win on Wednesday night at YMCA.

It was a game the Lady Jaguars did everything to win but were undone by their star player Sarah Ageno fouling out, leaving the key open and the Rangers took full advantage.

Dorcas Maronbera was pivotal, scoring nine points in the decisive final quarter, ultimately securing the victory for KIU.

Maronbera scored 22 points to go with 7 rebounds and five assists which was complemented by Rose Amaniyo, who notched a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Ines Kanyamunza also had a good game for the Rangers, contributing 17 points.

Sarah Ageno led JT Lady Jaguars with 20 points while skipper Rhoda Naggita added 11 points in a losing effort.