Saturday, May 6

• Cape Town 80-70 City Oilers

City Oilers suffered a big blow by exiting of Basketball Africa League after falling to Cape Town Tigers in an 80-70 loss on Saturday evening.

The Ugandan side played this game having it at the back of their mind that it was their ticket to Kigali if they win but also a ticket back to Kampala if they lose.

The South African side won the first quarter after edging City Oilers by three points 20-17.

But Mandy Juruni’s side won the second quarter 20-17 and the two sides went in the long break levelled at 37-37 to set the perfect stage for a thrilling duel.

After recess, it was end-to-end action as both sides shared possession but with less than two minutes in the third quarter. Samkelo Cele converted three successive shots to create a six-point lead.

Titus Odeke responded with a 3-point jump shot to reduce the deficit but Parby Musongela recreated the seven-point lead at the end of the quarter.

The fourth block was more interesting as Fayed Bbaale put in a big three with 2.34 left on the clock but Pieter Prinslo responded with a three to extend the lead.

The final whistle was blown while City Oilers were trailing by 10 points.

Falando Jones topped the scoring chart of the Oilers with 27 points and was the only player with double figures from the home side.

It was the fourth loss for City Oilers who only managed to pick a win against Mozambique’s Ferroviato da Beira (96-75).

Fixtures | Friday May 5

• City Oilers vs Ferroviaro Beira
• Petro de Atletico vs Al Ahly

City Oilers head coach Mandy Juruni has emphasized the sensitivity of their next game in the Basketball Africa League in the Nile Conference being held in Cairo, Egypt.

The Ugandan side has so far lost three games at the ongoing tournament and seeks a comeback when they face Ferroviaro Beira on Friday evening.

“We have no room to mess up,” Juruni said ahead of the clinical clash against the side from Mozambique.

“We have to do all it takes to keep ourselves alive so we understand what is ahead of us but most importantly we have to focus on the things that need to be done so that we win,” he added.

City Oilers’ most recent loss came against Guinea’s SLAC in a 96-68 loss to fall to a 0-3 record. In that game, the Oilers looked so down and mentally off.

But Juruni believes his charges are now in a better place mentally and hope for a smarter performance far from what they staged in the previous game.

“We have been preparing mentally. We have had numerous sessions with the boys, one-on-one just to try and prepare them mentally.

“We have watched the film of the last game and we highlighted a number of mistakes that are correctable. After the training and the talks we had, I feel good about the mood.

“The players also had their own meeting (as players only) so we have done everything to prepare ourselves for the game ahead.

“These are teams (Ferroviaro Beira and Cape Town Tigers ) we are very familiar with having played them in the Road to BAL to get here but this is a different stage and we are in the position where we have to win,” he concluded.

Another loss for Juruni’s troops will mean they are automatically out of the picture for a slot in the BAL playoffs that will be held in Kigali, Rwanda from May 21st to 28th.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

• City Oilers 68-96 SLAC
• Cape Town 75-91 Al Ahly

City Oilers head coach Mandy Juruni was a very disappointed man after his side lost the third game of the Basketball Africa League in the Nile Conference.

Juruni highlighted the lack of effort as the reason why his troops fell to Guinea’s SLAC in a 96-68 loss to slump to a 0-3 record at the grand stage.

“We just did not compete,” Juruni said shortly after a disappointing result in a game they badly wanted to end the poor run.

“So many layups given away, so many assists gone the wrong side and it summed up how we lacked the togetherness in the game. All that contributed to the pour show and we got punished,” he added.

SLAC exhibited a high class of hunger as they started with the perfect rhythm to take a 24-13 lead after the first quarter.

Guinea’s side carried the lead to the second quarter carding a 20-12 lead ensuring they go to the long break with the scoreboard reading 44-25.

“If you come to play these games, these teams, you have to be mentally and physically ready. I thought we were not mentally and physically ready to play this game.”

“They (SLAC) scored very many points in the paint, we had 20 turnovers, and they scored 19 points off of that. They scored so many uncontested shots,” he underlined.

“We have to show how tough we are. We have two must-win games, and we believe in this team. We believe we can be a better team.”

James Justice Jr topped the scoring list with 30 points while Falando Jones added 20 but all this could not hurt SLAC.

According to Juruni, they picked several lessons from the challenge and will go back to the training ground to try and fix how to return physically and mentally better.

The Oilers tried to have the last kick of the horse but it was too late and the Ugandan Champions fell trailing to 28 points in a one-sided encounter.

They have already lost to Petro de Luanda and Al Ahly and the most recent defeat to SLAC darkened the journey to Kigali as it kicked off the exit story.

Jane Asinde has joined the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) for the 2023-24 NCAA season.

The Ugandan power forward moves to UTEP Miners after a couple of seasons with Wichita State University Shockers.

At UTEP, Asinde links up with coach Keitha Adams under whom she worked at Wichita during her two seasons with the Shockers.

During the 2022-23 season, Asinde was named on the All-Conference third team.

She led Shockers in points (13.1), rebounds (9.8), blocks (26), and field goal percentage (49.2 %) and ranked second in steals with 59.

The Gazelles star recorded 11 double-doubles, had 21 games with 10 or more points and had a career-high 27 points to go with 12 rebounds vs. Tulsa on February 15.

Fixtures | Tuesday, May 2

• City Oilers vs SLAC
• Cape Town vs Al Ahly

City Oilers star Jimmy Enabu has called upon teammates to do all it takes to see that they pick a victory against SLAC tomorrow.

The record eight-time National Basketball League champions have not picked a win at the Basketball Africa League after falling to Petro de Luanda and Al Ahly.

City Oilers have a chance to bring the run to an end as they take on Guinea side SLAC and Enabu believes it’s up to them to do the job.

“We need to redeem ourselves,” Enabu said shortly after the last training ahead of the important clash.

“The feeling is we lost the first two games and we need to win the next game. Getting a victory will give us the best of momentum going forward, create confidence in the camp and put us in a better place to compete and fight for a place in Kigali,” he added.

“I think we are working, we can only know how far we have gotten better. We need to share the ball more and get everyone involved on the offensive end pick each other up and we shall be good to go.”

The guard emphasised that the opponent ahead of them is a decent one but also underlined how they can go ahead to punish the Guinea side.

“They (SLAC) are a good team and also a hustle team. They play a lot of hustle defence and give many shots so I think we need to be ready to take advantage of their loopholes more so in the defence and play with more pace,” Enabu underlined.

The Oilers will have to win all their remaining games against SLAC, Cape Town, and Ferroviario da Beira if they are to progress to the playoffs that are set to be played in Kigali later this month.

“Winning a basketball game will be the best for us because it will be a source of confidence and also lighten up our way to Kigali because it’s the next level, so the game is so important to us and we shall treat it with the deserved attention it deserves,” he concluded.

The Ugandan side will be ignited by their sprinted performance in their previous game against the tournament hosts Al Ahly which saw them fight from 33 points down only to lose by only two.

Saturday, April 29, 2023

• City Oilers 70-72 Al Ahly
• Ferroviario Beira 76-101 Petro de Luanda

City Oilers were so close to registering their first BAL win but fell short to Al Ahly in the Basketball Africa League on Saturday.

The Oilers fought from down 33 points but came short of finishing the assignment by only a basket.

It was the second loss of the eight-time NBL champion who was handed a false start by Angola’s Petro de Luanda.

It was a live wire end to the game as the final play of the game nearly guided Mande Juruni’s charges past hosts Al Ahly.

The Oilers played the fourth quarter like their lives were dependent on it. They managed to score 34 points of the 70 collected in 40 minutes.

Falando Jones would have won the entertaining duel but was denied a clear sight to the hoop hence setting up Titus Lual who failed to beat the buzzer.

This was after tactician Juruni called a time-out to design the downfall of the Egyptian side with just two seconds but the attack yielded no fruit.

At full-time, there was no celebration from either side as City Oilers covered their faces in disappointment while Ah Ahly still contemplated how they survived the scare.

The Oilers will feel undone with their low conversion rate. They only scored 11 of 21 attempts on the free line. While only seven of the 24 three-point attempts fell.

Germaine Roebuck Jr topped Uganda’s scoring chart with 28 points as Falando and James Justice Jr added 15 and 11 respectively.

Next on the menu for City Oilers is SLAC on Tuesday as they seek their maiden win at the grand continental stage.

City Oilers fell to Angola’s Petro De Luanda in an 89-71 loss on their BAL debut on Thursday night.

It was a rough start for the eight-time National Basketball Champions but Tonny Drileba noted a number of positives that the team can build from going forward.

“Considering we have not played together for a while we did relatively ok,” Drileba told the press after the game.

“We had a very good first half but let the game go in the second half we gave away a number of offensive rebounds that swung the game.”

The Oilers had a slow start failing to score after six trials. However, they later picked their souls up and put up a great show limiting the deficit to three by halftime (42-39).

“We later found ourselves in foul trouble early which sent them on the line for free points, that’s how they got away from us in the third quarter.”

“They are the most ranked team, so for us to get there and play such a game I think there are several positives to take home. I think there are several lessons to take and hopefully, we can do better in the coming game.”

“It’s not over because we have four games to go. Taking the positives and lessons from this we shall go back and watch the film and am sure we shall play much better,” he concluded.

Generally, the Oilers’ performance was fair and it gives hope to a Ugandan at home that they can still make it to the chosen four that will play in the playoffs that will be held in Kigali next month.

Falando Jones topped the scoring card with 22 points ahead of James Justice and Titus Odeke who had 20 and 10 respectively.

Mande Juruni’s charges will be back in action on Saturday (tomorrow) as they lock horns with hosts Al Ahly who won their first game against Mozambique’s CFV Beira.

Thursday, April 27, 2023

• SLAC vs Cape Town
• Petro Atletico vs City Oilers

City Oilers captain James Okello is confident that they have enough in their arsenal to register a perfect start to the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

The eight-time Uganda champions will take on last year’s BAL finalists Petro Atletico de Luanda in the first game of their maiden show at BAL.

“Since we touched down in Egypt, it’s been working as we prepare for our opening game. We have had great sessions that have helped us find a combination and rhythm as a team,” Okello told the club media.

“The new guys that joined us are doing well and are coping with the team. The chemistry is great and we are ready for tomorrow’s game. It’s been a dream to play at such a level and we can not wait to get underway,” he added.

According to Okello, it’s not all about City Oilers as a club but more about representing Uganda and doing what it takes to see that lift the black-yellow-red flag as high as possible.

“We call upon all Ugandans to rally behind the team and push the boys. We are here to support the represent Uganda, We are here to represent 256 so I call everyone to come on board and help us achieve the set target, he concluded.

Mandy Juruni’s side has been tremendous back home winning all the 10 games played at home and will seek to extend the alluring form to the biggest stage in Africa.

They have beefed up the squad and their 12-man roster reads; James Justice Jr, Jones Fallando, Germain Roebuck, AdulKarim Ghedi, Edrine Walujjo, James Okello, Titus Lual, Fayed Bbaale, Ivan Muwhwezi, Jimmy Enabu and Tony Drileba.

The Oilers are the first team from Uganda to play at the BAL and the target will be securing a spot in the top four of the Nile Conference so that they qualify for the playoffs that will be held at the Kigali Arena, Rwanda in May (21-28).

Sunday, April 23, 2022

Women

• KIU Rangers 94-32 A1 Challenge
• Nkumba 35-59 UCU

Men

• UCU Canons 90-80 KCCA Panthers
• KIU Titans 78-53 Kampala Rockets
• Rezlife Saints 54-48 UPDF Tomahawks

UCU Canons registered their third victory after edging KCCA Panthers 90-80 in the National Basketball League at the MTN Arena, Lugogo on Sunday.

Jimmy Otim was exceptional in guiding UCU Canons to their third win in a row. The Mukono-base side has recently won against JKL Dolphins, Power and KCCA Panthers.

Otim led the charge scoring a game-high of 25 points, picking four rebounds and four assists in the 33 minutes he spent on the floor.

By half time the Panthers were trailing by 11 (46-35) in a closely contested game.

In the third quarter, the Panthers cut the deficit to seven after carding (22-18) in that specific block.

But in the last quarter, UCU were on the front foot carding (26-23) extending the gap to the end for a final 90-80 score.

Jerry Kayanga and Joel Kayiira scored 17 and 14 respectively to ensure the Canons take the win home.

Salim Kisilu and Martin Buluma Ouma scored 16 each and Emmanuel Ateng added 13 for the Panthers.

The Canons benefited from the bench that posted 38 points, ensuring a smooth flow of player rotation.

In the next games, Canons take on Rez Life Saints while KCCA Panthers will lock horns with KIU Titans.

Friday, April, 21

Men

• UCU Canons 81-50 Dmark Power

Women

• UKIU Rangers 63-66 UCU Lady Canon

UCU Canons registered a second win in a row for the first time in the ongoing National Basketball League campaign.

This came after they thumped DMark Power 81-50 in a one-sided encounter at MTN Arena on Friday.

Power faced their second loss on a bounce after falling to the newly promoted Kampala Rockets earlier.

Jerry Kayanga stood out as Timothy Odeke’s troops struggled to handle the former’s athleticism.

UCU got off the mark with a 24-09 lead after the first quarter and they kept roaring into the second quarter and went into the break with a comfortable lead of 48-20.

After recess, Canons utilised their bench and by the end of the third quarter, Power was trailing by 35 (69-34).

Power lifted their spirits in the final block of the duel to card a 16-12 run but it was not enough to impact the result.

Kayanga impressed with a game-high of 21 points followed by Jimmy Otim and Peter Sifuma who registered 16 and 12 points respectively.

For Power, Guellord Mobanza gathered 12 points while Samad Imran collected 11 points.