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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

Uganda has qualified for the semifinals of the 2021 FIBA Africa U16 Women’s Championship in Cairo, Egypt.

The Junior Gazelles won the second of the four games played thus far. They followed up the win registered against Chad on Monday with a 53-25 victory over Gabon on Wednesday night.

Junior Gazelles won three quarters and a 14-2 first-quarter score gave them a solid foundation on which they built during the second half despite a slight setback in the second period.

Mariam Namukwaya scored a game-high 14 points and picked team-high 17 rebounds while Gertrude Nyamutoro contributed 13 points and made 5 assists.

Junior Gazelles are yet to play Algeria who they face on Thursday night but with a playoff semifinals ticket sealed.

Results & Fixtures (EAT)

Uganda’s Junior Gazelles are on course for a place in the semifinals of the ongoing FIBA Africa U16 Women’s Championship in Cairo, Egypt.

The side has won one of the three games played thus far. The win came against Chad while the defeats were to favourites Mali and hosts Egypt.

Christine Namyalo was the standout performer during the 56-39 win over Chad. The guard scored 20 points and picked 13 rebounds. In the same game, Gertrude Nyamutoro scored 13 points.

Junior Gazelles are yet to play Gabon and Algeria in which they all but need one win to qualify for the playoff semifinals.

Results & Fixtures (EAT)

Uganda national basketball team star player Ishmail Wainright has joined the 2019 NBA champions Toronto Raptors.

According to his agents, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Wainright has agreed to a two-year deal with the Raptors.

The 26-year-old versatile forward took to Twitter to express his delight, saying it’s just the beginning.

Wainright averaged 18.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for Uganda during the AfroBasket Qualifiers and he is expected to be part of the team at the final tournament that tips off on 24th August in Kigali, Rwanda.