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A semifinal spot at the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 will be at stake when Uganda’s Silverbacks face-off with Cape Verde on Thursday evening.

The match-up at Kigali Arena will be a repeat of the qualifiers game played last year at Al Ittihad Stadium in Alexandria, Egypt. The Silverbacks prevailed in the high-scoring game 101-98.

Cape Verde (2-1) and Uganda (2-2) play a nearly similar type of basketball but the Silverbacks play with a little more pace. The two sides thrive on three-point shooting, and thus it will be important for either side to defend the arc.

In vet Fidel Mendonca, point guard Jeffrey Nunes Xavier, as well as forwards Joel Almeida and Ivan Almeida, the 2007 third-place finishers Cape Verde have real offensive power at the perimeter.

Seven-footer Walter Tavares could be a handful for John Deng Geu and James Okello in the post. The Real Madrid center has given Cape Verde the interior presence they missed during the qualifiers, averaging 14 points and nearly as many rebounds a game.

Ishmail Wainright who torched Cape Verde in the qualifiers has directed Uganda’s offense at the tournament, delivering triple-double performances in the last two games. His ability to drive to the basket or find the open man for the shot will be key for the Silverbacks.

Adam Seiko has immensely added to Uganda’s outside shooting. The 6’3” guard has complemented Robinson Opong very well in delivering goods from downtown.

Deng Geu has quietly and efficiently delivered for Silverbacks on both ends of the floor. The 6’9” athletic center is a reliable rim protector and contributes 10 points at the other end of the court.

Arthur Kaluma has made it clear how he is not content with his performance thus far and could be looking to deliver a performance that will see Uganda in the semifinals. The 19-year-old 6’9” power forward is not afraid to attack the basket and only needs to polish the finishing.

Silverbacks coach George Galanopoulos was emotional during the post-match press conference after Uganda’s stunned Nigeria on Tuesday.

Uganda beat Africa’s top-ranked team D’Tigers 80-68 at the Kigali Arena to seal a place in the Quarterfinal of the Fiba Afrobasket.

Galanopoulos, whose side will face Cape Verde in the quarterfinals on Thursday, has ranked the milestone highest in his coaching career.

The former Video Coordinator at Dallas Mavericks and current coach of Texas Legends who has been in charge of  Silverbacks since 2017 says coaching Uganda has been more than something to put on his resume.

“There will be an influence these players will have on the young generation. I grew up in Chicago rooting for the Chicago Bulls, many guys will start to play the game more and more because of a win like this,” Galanopoulos said after Uganda’s win over Nigeria.

“We do not focus on that (inspiring generations) when we go through the process of playing but I think when you take a step back and you think about the bigger picture and you kind of broaden the perspective about the impact you can have on the nation and especially for the generation to come, it gives you an extra motivation to understand that you are working with people for something so much meaningful than your own individual goal.

“Just for example when I was first offered this job, I was 28 years, I just saw the opportunity thrown on my resume just to be a head coach, I did not realize by the grace of God that this will be the best thing to have ever happened to me for more reasons than just my coaching experience.”

Galanopoulos added: “It’s hard to put into words but all I can say is that I am extremely proud of this group, I am so proud and humbled to coach them. This is the best collective group of people that I have ever been around.”

Uganda’s Silverbacks have been drawn in Group A of the African Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

The Silverbacks have been drawn along with familiar qualifiers opponents Cape Verde Mali and Nigeria.

Uganda played Mali and Nigeria in the first round of the qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup, losing to both countries in the two legs.

The Silverbacks also played Cape Verde in the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 qualifiers, winning the high-scoring game played in Alexandria, Egypt.

FIBA World Cup 2023 Qualifiers Groups (Africa)

How and when the qualifiers will be played

The African qualifiers will be played over two rounds. The top three teams from each group in the first will advance to the second round.

During the first round, each team will face the other three teams in their group in two tournaments played over three event windows. The teams will play three games in each window. These nine-day windows will be played starting in November 2021, February 2022, and June 2022.

At the second round, the group’s three advancing teams will join three other teams to create two six-team groups.  All teams will carry over their results from the First Round.

In the Second Round, each team will play each new team in their group during two tournaments played over two event windows schedule in August 2022 and February 2023.

At the end of these additional six games per team, the two top teams in each group, along with the best third-placed team, will qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

Qualifying Tournament Windows

Uganda’s Silverbacks are through to the quarterfinals of the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 after beating Nigeria 80-68.

The Silverbacks took over the game right from tip-off, shooting the ball well from outside the arc to start and built up a 12-point (24-12) lead at the end of the first quarter.

Rising star Arthur Kaluma opened the second quarter scoring for Silverbacks who went on an 11-2 run to lead by 21 points. D’Tigers of Nigeria however rallied back and went into the halftime break trailing by 13 points (31-44).

D’Tigers cut the deficit to 9 points early in the third quarter but a series of good plays from the Silverbacks restored the double-digit lead midway through the period. Uganda’s lead hovered above 13 points before closing the period leading by 19 (67-49).

Nigeria started the fourth quarter with two unanswered three-pointers from George Domingo (13 points) forcing Silverbacks head coach George Galanopoulos to call a timeout. On return, D’Tigers extended the run to 8-0 but a couple of 3s from shooting guard Robinson Opong put Uganda back on track to victory.

Opong scored team-high 19 points shooting 60% from 3-point range. Ishmail Wainright delivered another brilliant performance with a triple-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Kaluma and John Deng Geu contributed 11 points each while Adam Seiko had 10 points in the historic win that put Uganda in the last eight of the continental championship for the first time.

Uganda’s national men’s basketball team, the Silverbacks, got off the mark at the FIBA Afrobasket 2021.

The Silverbacks beat Cameroon 80-66 on Friday afternoon with the team showing massive improvement in all aspects from the first game they played against Senegal.

Uganda started strong and got a double-figure lead halfway the first quarter but Cameroon played their way back for the Silverbacks to lead 27-22 after the opening quarter.

The team shot the ball better and was again led by Adam Seiko who scored an efficient game-high 20 points.

Deng John Geu throws down a dunk

Robinson Opong added 15 points, John Deng Geu scored14 points and picked 7 rebounds while Arthur Kaluma contributed 12 points.

Ishmail Wainright nearly got a triple-double. The power forward scored 9 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and made out 11 assists.

For Cameroon, it was D.J. Strawberry (17 points and 5 assists) and Kenneth Kadji (11 points) who scored in double figures.

Uganda will play its last group game on Sunday against South Sudan at 7:00pm (EAT) while Cameroon will battle tournament favourites Senegal at 10:00pm.

Uganda’s Silverbacks got off their FIBA Afrobasket 2021 campaign on a losing note, falling to Senegal 93-55 at the Kigali Arena on Wednesday night.

The Silverbacks were bullied by the big and strong Senegalese who got everything they wanted in the key.

Uganda looked better in the first half as they trailed by nine points, but a second-half collapse especially on offense saw the side out-scored 53-24.

Ishmail Wainright, Uganda’s best player, picked three fouls in the first half which affected his entire game contributing just 8 points on 3-for-11 shooting from the field.

Arthur Kaluma equally struggled to shoot the ball after a good start. The power forward scored 8 points after going 3-of-17 from the floor.

Guards Adam Seiko (12 points) and Kieran Zziwa (9 points) top-scored for Uganda in a game everybody on the team will want to forget.

NBA star Gorgui Dieng (19 points), Branco Badiou (17 points), Ibrahim Faye (15 points) and Alga Ndiaye (14 points) all scored in double figures for Senegal.

The Silverbacks will hope to bounce back against Cameroon on Friday who lost their opener against South Sudan by forfeiture after their camp was hit by Covid-19. It, however, remains to be seen if Cameroon vs Uganda will be played as well.

The Silverbacks have a date with South Sudan on Sunday.

Uganda’s Silverbacks will start their FIBA AfroBasket 2021 campaign tonight when they take on Senegal at the Kigali Arena.

The Silverbacks are making their third straight appearance at Afrobasket following their debut tournament in 2015.

Head coach George Galanopoulos is clear on how he wants his troops to play on both ends of the court, putting all into consideration.

“Defensively, we got to use the speed a little bit more by applying ball pressure, we are going to make sure that we are altering what the other team is doing offensively based on how they are pressuring the basketball. We are a small team, so we have to make sure that when we guard in the post, it’s not a one-man job, it’s a multiple.

“Offensively we have to play with more space and we have to move the ball a little bit better. Everybody has to be ready and everybody needs to understand his roles,” said Galanopoulos.

Uganda’s Roster

Uganda’s Group Fixtures (EAT)

The final batch of players who will represent the country at the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 arrived in Kigali, Rwanda ahead of the tournament that tips off on Tuesday.

Ishmail Wainright, Arthur Kaluma, and John Deng Geu touched down in Kigali on Monday evening and joined the team in the bubble and now the team is complete.

The Silverbacks will play their first game of the tournament on Wednesday against Senegal then Cameroon and South Sudan in that order.

The top team in the group will advance directly to the quarterfinals while the second and third-placed teams will cross with the third and second-placed team from Group C for a playoff to the quarterfinals.

Uganda thus needs at least one win to stand a chance of playing in the quarterfinals.

Uganda’s Roster

Uganda’s Group Fixtures (EAT)

Uganda’s national basketball team, Silverbacks, has left for Kigali, Rwanda to compete in the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 that starts next week.

The team of home-based players and officials left early Wednesday morning and will go into a seven-day mandatory quarantine which ends on tournament tip-off day.

The players are led by team captain Jimmy Enabu. He is joined by City Oilers teammates Ben Komakech, Tony Drileba, and James Okello as well as UCU Canons center Titus Lual Odeke.

The foreign-based players will join the team in Kigali.

Uganda is in Group D alongside Senegal, Cameroon, and South Sudan.

Silverbacks will open their campaign against Senegal on Wednesday 25th August before facing Cameroon (Friday, 27th August) and South Sudan (Sunday, 29th August) in that order.

Uganda’s Contingent

Players: Jimmy Enabu (City Oilers), Tonny Drilleba (City Oilers), Ben Komakech (City Oilers), Titus Odeke Lual (UCU Canons), James Okello (City Oilers)

Officials: Mande Juruni (Coach), Andrew Tendo (Assistant Coach), Grace Kwizera (Team Manager), Albert Ahabwe (Assistant Team Manager), Mark Ssali (Government Representative), Isa Mapengo (Video/Photography), Brian Tuka (Media), Emanzi Ndyamuhaki (Media).

Uganda’s Group Fixtures (EAT)

Uganda’s Junior Gazelles settled for fourth place at the FIBA U16 Women’s African Championship.

The Junior Gazelles lost to Algeria 53-51 in the 3rd-place playoff on Sunday as the curtains came down on the tournament that was won by under-group specialists Mali.

Despite starting the game well, Roger Sserunyigo’s charges had a poor second quarter that haunted them in the end, losing to Algeria for a second time at the tournament.

Mariam Namukwaya was the standout performer on the afternoon with a game-high 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Gertrude Nyamutoro added 13 points, picked 5 rebounds, and handed out 4 assists.

Christine Namyalo contributed 9 points to go with 10 rebounds and 5 assists.

Sserunyigo and his assistant Ali Mavita will take pride in the overall performance of the team after having very little time to prepare for the tournament.

It was Uganda’s second appearance at the tournament, having finished fifth in the 2019 edition held in Kigali, Rwanda.

All Uganda’s Results