Ronald Rugumayo made history on Friday, February 23 as he became the first Ugandan to make the cut at a DP World Tour event.

It was a priceless moment for the 31-year-old as he birdied the final hole during the second round of the Magical Kenya Open at the Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi.

“There are no words that I can use to express how I feel,” said Rugumayo.

“I’m so grateful for Kenyans, my fellow Ugandans who flew all the way (to watch me). Honestly, it’s not about me as a player, it’s not about Uganda, it’s about East Africa. Everything I’m doing, I’m doing for East Africa.”

This is Mayo’s third go at the Magical Kenya Open as a professional, but he participated in the 2017 edition as an amateur.

Last season, he also became the first Ugandan to hit a hole-in-one in the DP World Tour.

The Uganda Men’s National Basketball Team (Silverbacks) will be taking part of the upcoming 2025 FIBA AfroBasket qualifiers in Tunisia.

The Silverbacks will be out to tussle it out against Cape Verde, Nigeria and Libya as they seek a slot in the continental showpiece.

Silverbacks head coach Juruni has set a clear target of winning as many games as possible but also making it hard for other sides to pick any positives from the encounters.

“Our target is to win as many games as we can and compete hard throughout. We are looking for a strong squad that will help us achieve that,” he said.

Juruni joined the boys in Monastir, Tunisia on Tuesday ahead of tip off on Friday and the team will only have two more days to prepare. The gaffer is optimistic having met the sides before.

“We have faced these teams before and are aware of what to expect. African basketball is physical and quick so we have to have defensive coverage,” he added.

“Chemistry is key in the four days of training before action begins, we’re focused on getting the basics right, mainly creativity as that will propel us to victory.”

Uganda will kick start the campaign against Cape Verde on Friday before they play Nigeria and Libya on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Looking back, the last time the Silverbacks played at the AfroBasket, they put in a great shift and finished sixth overall after losing to Cape Verde in a classification game.

National Basketball League – Results

Sunday, February 18, 2024

• Kampala Rockets 67-89 Namuwongo Blazers
• KIU Rangers 79-41 YMCA Lady Hamsters
• KCCA Panthers 73-56 Our Saviour
• KCCA Leopards 1110-43 Nabisunsa

Namuwongo Blazers registered an 89-67 victory against Kampala Rockets in an exciting National Basketball League encounter at the YMCA Court on Sunday.

The Blazers secured the third victory in four games played thus far in the ongoing campaign.

In search of a sounding victory, the Blazers quickly got out of their blocks and took control of the game finishing the first period with a six-point advantage (17-11).

The Blazers only got better in the second quarter scoring 10 more points than they managed in the second quarter compounding the Rockets’ sorrow who were trailing by 17 (44-27) at halftime.

Coming from the locker rooms, the Rockets found their footing and fought hard to reduce the deficit to 10 points (61-51) as Simon Ola sealed the third quarter with a two-point jump shot.

In the final quarter of the game, the Blazers got on top of their game and recreated the huge gap between the two sides as they perfectly sealed their 22-point victory.

Peter Cheng harvested a game-high with 24 points topping Namuwongo Blazers’ scoring sheet as Innocent Ochera and Joseph Chuma added 23 and 19 points respectively.

The Rockets’ scoring was led by Francis Kasinde who dropped 20 points followed by John Dombo and Ola who dropped 17 and 11 points.

It was a great shooting day for the winning team which managed to convert 11 of the 22 attempts outside the paint. 

Michael Monne and Bridget Basiima topped the February field of the MTN Monthly Tee at Entebbe Club on Saturday.

Monne returned 68 nett to emerge the overall winner on countback.

Playing off handicap 14, Monne beat a field of 153 golfers who took part in the day-long event played at the par-71 course overlooking Lake Victoria.

“My swing was on, the approach was even better and the putting perfect,” Monne, who was also the men’s overall winner last year, said in the aftermath of the event.

Meanwhile, last year’s overall winner Bridget Basiima, playing off handicap 12, was the most outstanding lady with 69 nett.

Edith Wamala, playing off handicap 34, came second with 72 nett

Other Top Performers

National Team Player and last year’s Uganda Open second runners-up Peter Tumusiime topped the Men’s Group A. Playing off Handicap 1, Tumusiime returned 74 to beat Peter Pell on countback.

Playing off Handicap 17, Saidi Kirarira scored 69 nett to beat MTN Uganda’s Albert Gitta (Handicap 11) on countback to top Group B while Emmanuel Mugabi won Group C followed by Drake Tukamuhabwa.

February 2024 Top Performers

OVERALL WINNER

• Michael Monne 68 nett c/b

GROUP A MEN

• Winner: Micheal Tumusiime 74 nett c/b
• Runner Up: Peter Apell 74 nett

GROUP B MEN 

• Winner: Saidi Kirarira 69 nett c/b
• Runner Up: Albert Gitta 69 nett

GROUP C MEN

• Winner: Emma Mugabi 68 nett c/b
• Runner Up: Drake Tukamuhabwa 69 nett

LADIES

• Winner: Bridget Basiima 69 nett
• Runner Up: Edith Wamalwa 72 nett

SENIORS (55+)

• Winner: Jamil  Maningi 76 nett c/b

GUESTS

• Winner: Ivan Ssettimba 68 nett

National Basketball League | Fixture

• Our Saviour vs Livingstone – 3 PM
• KIU Rangers vs KCCA Leopards – 5 PM
• JT Lady Jaguars vs UCU Lady Canons – 7 PM
• KIU Titans vs City Oilers – 9 PM

KIU Titans and City Oilers will lock up horns in the National Basketball League at Lugogo Arena today Friday, February 16, 2024.

The two sides faced in last season’s finals which was clinched by City Oilers on a 4-2 aggregate victory as they lifted their ninth title.

In the pre-match conference, KIU Titans head coach Julius Lutwama revealed that it’s not any special game and they will only try and play their normal game.

“We are playing City Oilers and nothing is exceptional with this game. All we plan is to go and execute our game plan,” Lutwama said.

“We have had good preparations and we shall try and execute our plan. However, City Oilers have always been special, the fact that they have won nine (titles) in a row because they have no competitor for that,” he added.

Nonetheless, Lutwama believes the gap between the two sides is not big since they met in the finals of the previous campaign.

“The fact that we played them in the finals last season shows how we are close and it’s one thing we shall try and weigh.”

The Titans will attempt and end the Oilers’ unbeaten run following back-to-back victories against UCU Canons (83-52) and Kampala Rockets (73-53). For Starters, the Titans fell to Namuwongo Blazers (59-63) in the season opener.

KIU Titans’ roaster has been boosted by the return of Peter Obleg after a long off-season break.

On the other hand, the City Oilers look like a well-oiled machine ready to go all the way. Their thrilling start to the campaign has seen them secure four victories in four games played this far.

Ndejje Angels head coach John Omondi ‘Mapeesa’ is extremely proud of Christian Ndibu’s thrilling show in the loss against City Oilers.

In the National Basketball League encounter played at Lugogo Arena on Wednesday, Ndejje Angels fell to City Oilers in an 83-75 loss.

While speaking to the press, Omondi said that they expect a lot from Ndibu after starting his life at Angels on a high.

“Christian Ndibu is one of our imports and we expect a lot from him. He is doing a good job so far and jellying into the team well,” Omondi said.

“Things are moving on well for him. We are trying to fit him in and but also adjust to ensure we allow him to flourish,” he added.

“I think one of the good things he is doing is rebounding.  I think he has the best rebounding statistics; he is improving every game and I am happy for him.”

“We had earlier told him that this is one of the games that makes our highlights. We had told him that this is one of the games that we want to win, that is why we gave it a strong effort.”

Ndibu scored a game high of 20 points as well as pulling down 21 rebounds. His fight and aggression throughout the game gave City Oilers a hard time in the paint.

The Angels have so far played five games, among those they picked two wins against Kampala Rockets and league newbies Livingstone. However, they have also lost to Our Saviour, JT Jaguars, and City Oilers.

National Basketball League | Results 

Men

• JT Jaguars 65-78 UCU Canons
• JKL Dolphins 64-72 Dmark Power

Women

• YMCA L Hamstars 80-42 Nabisunsa
• UPDF Lady Hawks 73-37 Kampala University 
• JT Lady Jaguars 76-47 Magic Stormers

UCU Canons registered a 78-63 victory against JT Jaguars in the National Basketball League at Lugogo Arena on Sunday evening.

Canons secured the third victory for the campaign. They have so far beaten Kampala Rockets, Dmark Power, and JT Jaguars in the ongoing campaign.

Jimmy Otim led the surge with 20 points. Joel Kayiira was big once again with a double-double scoring 13 points and pulling down 16 rebounds before Peter Sifuma added 10 points.

For JT Jaguars, Benjamin Shango led the scoring sheet with 20 points before George Agasi and Kevin Moru added 10 points each.

Ibanda Lwabaga’s floating jump shot and Kevin Kasobya’s layup got the game underway. At the end of the first period, UCU created a seven-point (18-11) lead.

The JT Jaguars were the better side in the second period scoring 24 points, 18 more than they managed in the first quarter nonetheless Canons held their nerves and at least concluded the quarter with a two-point lead (42-40).

Kevin Kasobya’s three-point jump shot concluded UCUA’s thrilling third quarter as they limited the Jaguars to only six points. The electric performance from the Mukono-based side created a whooping 20-point lead (66-46).

Despite the trial for the Jaguars to make a comeback in the final quarter, it was too late to command anything positive as the Mukono-based side ran away with a 13-point victory (78-65).

The Canons will return to action as they take on Ndejje Angels on Saturday, February 17 while the Jaguars will return to action on Saturday, February 24 as they play Our Saviour.

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.