Basketball in Africa

AT last the 2008 Play Off takes off this weekend with one match in Mombasa three in Nairobi.

The only game today is at the Makande Welfare hall where Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) host former four time national champions Co-operative Bank of Kenya in Game One of the premier league semi finals.
This match will be equally balanced with KPA having a slight edge by virture of the fact that they are playing at home. Mike Opel and Musa Odari will lead the way in front of their insatiable fans.
The bankers morale is rock bottom and whether they will rise and be a real challenge to KPA remains to be seen. The team's failure to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the on going Zone Five qualifiers might play a big role in deciding this match.

Tomorrow, Matches switch to Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium, women leaders Eagle Wings have a date with Sprite Storms while an all Division One play offs that earlier was going to be chaotic until Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) moved in to diffuse the situation.

Blazers had furiosly contested the decission by KBF to lock them out of the post season and replace them with Nairobi pentecostal Church. They produced their records that has now forced KBF to change the fixtures again and earn them what is rightfully theirs.

Unbeaten Posta will now tackle Blazers, who had been replaced by Nairobi Pentecostal Church (NPC) as confusion as to who qualified alongside the mailmen threatened top derail the games. The other match will pit Lomboritz against Mennonites.
There is also the Inter Provincial Play offs at the Baptits High School in Mombasa where the top two will represented the branch in next year's Division One.

Nairobi have sent four teams namely Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA) University Trailblazers, Kenya Polytechnic University and Nairobi Aviation College (NAC). They are expected to play against teams from Coast, Central and Rift Valley.

Dann Owerre

Kano (Premier League playoff) - Union Bank of Lagos and Kano Pillars were the early qualifiers for the semi final stage of the 2008 Nigerian Premier Basketball League playoff holding at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano. And both teams are hoping to scale the semi finals hurdles today and battle for the trophy when the final match holds Saturday.

On Thursday, the Bankers recovered from their shock fall to AHIP Giants on Wednesday to defeat fellow Atlantic Conference team Lagos Islanders by 68-49. In another all conference battle, and this time the Savannah, Kano Pillars defeated Plateau Peaks 84-78. It was a second straight win for the Pillars who defeated Customs in the last game of Wednesday played late into the night. “For the game against AHIP we lost; we simply lost. But we’ve qualified already for the semi final stage irrespective of that result now,” Rotimi Savage of Union Bank told FIBA.COM from the sidecourt in Kano.

Union Bank, Niger Potters, Pillars and Plateau Peaks look good to pick the two continental tickets at stake. The champions and runners up will represent Nigeria in the FIBA Africa Men’s Club Championship holding in Tunisia by December. But before that stage, the Nigerian teams will first pass through the FIBA Africa Zone 3 qualifiers likely to be staged in Lagos next month.

By Pius Ayinor,

# Team P GD Pts
Group A
1 Mimbulu 9 135 17
2 Trojans 9 48 15
3 Blazers 7 -34 10
4 12 Discipoz 8 -45 10
5 KB 8 -49 9
6 Bayonets 7 -55 9
Group B
1 Mdzodzo 8 19 13
2 Alliance One 7 58 12
3 Lady Dynamites 10 -130 11
4 Softees 6 36 10
5 Veterans 6 38 9
6 Kamuzu Institute 7 16 9
7 Air Borne MAFCO 6 -37 8

COPPERBELT basketball league champions Hetro Bullets have maintained top position on the 2008 league standings despite not playing during the week-23 fixtures at the weekend.
Bullets were supposed to face Magnets who did not show up and, instead, the hosts, who have 28 points in the league, played a friendly match against CEC Cavs whom they beat 61-55.

In the other league matches, FQM Nets moved to the second place of the Copperbelt basketball league standings after struggling to beat Lechwe 82-71 in extra time following a 65-65 full-time deadlock.
With the win, FQM move to 26 points while Lechwe slip to the third place with 25 points.
CEC Cavs thrashed Konkola 72-29 to maintain fourth place while the last fixture saw Nchanga whitewash Chambishi 20-0.

Zambia Basketball Association (ZBA) northern region cordinator Rogers Moyo appealed to clubs wishing to postpone any league fixture to inform the association in good time.
He said ZBA would not organise any rescheduled matches for unplayed league fixtures because there was no time left to the close of the season.
“It is disappointing that clubs just inform us on the very day of games that they are unable to compete in the fixtures. My advice is that there will be no rescheduled games as there isn’t enough time left,” Moyo said.

Monday, March 10, 2008
LK Boyz beat SK East 53 - 52 in a keen contested replay final of the late Pa Modou Sarr Memorial basketball tournament at the Serrekunda West Mini-stadium on Saturday, to land their third consecutive title.

The memorial final was replayed over the weekend after a stalemate score in the two sides’ first meeting.

Handing over the winner prize, Muhammed Loum, a Quaranic teacher at Sheikh Mass Kah Senior Secondary School, expressed delight at way the tournament was conducted. He said the annual competition will not help people remember the deceased, but also create unity among the youths.

Dawda Sarr, father of the deceased, commended all the teams that participated in the tournament. He also hailed Abdoulie Secka led-organising committee for a job well done.

Saturday’s final was graced by scores of basketball enthusiasts.

PLS HAWKS are in the final of the men’s Sanken Basketball Cup. On Wednesday at Victoria Gymnasium they steamrollered second divisioners Anse Etoile 116-62.

The Hawks lost the first quarter 23-27 but made their experience tell as the match progressed.
Coach Tony Juliette’s star-studded team went on the rampage in the last three quarters to outscore Anse Etoile 37-5, 29-15 and 27-15.
Seychelles centre Rodney Lozé led all scores with 32 points and he was helped in offence by Daniel Victor with 29 points, including four 3-pointers. Captain Jim Domingue and Heribert Derjacques combined for 23 points.
Christian Toulon had the hot hands for Anse Etoile with 23 points, while Luciano Moumou, who had a short stint with the Hawks, added 21 including three baskets from downtown.
Defending champs Hawks, who trounced Division Two winners Mont Fleuri Dawgz 89-30 and former league and cup winners Premium Cobras 89-78 in the previous rounds, were to know their final opponents yesterday as Men’s Division One league champions Baya were to play MBU Rockers in the second semifinal.
The first match of the best-of-three final is on Sunday at 4.30pm at the Palais des Sports.

G. G.

Zone 5 results
Ethiopia Investment 27-117 KCC
KCC Leopards 83-80 USIU

MTN-Fuba League results
Biston 56-78 Rhino
Crane High 55-109 KIU
Nabisunsa 60-6 Sparks

Tonight at Lugogo
MBC Rocks v Berkley 5pm
KIU Rangers v Sparks 6:30pm
UCU Canons v Miracle 8pm

Kampala City Council (KCC) Leopards have qualified for the Africa Zone 5 Championships semifinals following two back-to-back victories in their preliminary round games. KCC Leopards humiliated home side Ethiopia Investment 117-27 in their opening game on Tuesday night.

The game was one-sided that coach Mande Juruni had the audacity to field all his bench players. The second game against United States International University (USIU) of Kenya on Wednesday, was however, too draining for Leopards.

It required the acumen of national league three-time top scorer Frances Nabulobi for KCC to see off USIU 83-80. Nabulobi garnered a game high 28 points and Miriam Hamala added 22 for KCC to close in on a place in the finals. “Our aim is to win the trophy and qualify for the Africa Championship. Hopefully the girls will maintain their form,” KCC Leopards official Denis Karugaba said.

But KCC Leopards could be barred from playing the final after the organisers told them that Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (Fuba) owes them $2,600 (about Shs5.2m). “They are insisting we must pay the federation arrears,” Karugaba said. “We communicated to Fiba (international basketball governing body) to allow KCC Leopards play. We told them we would start paying our arrears next year,” Fuba AssistantGeneral Secretary Joseph Manano. Adding; “May be the tournament commissioner is not aware. But again, I sent another reminder today (yesterday).”

UCU on the brink
Uganda Christian University (UCU) Canons will book the remaining play-offs slot if they defeat Miracle Eagles at Lugogo tonight. UCU are in a bruising battle for the slot with Kampala International University (KIU), who thrashed Crane High School 109-55 on Wednesday. KIU have one more game against KCC Lions at the weekend but a win for UCU tonight will make the fixture irrelevant. Miracle have already survived relegation and could spoil UCU Canons’ party.

By Malyo Njedengwa

Dar es Salaam basketball teams yesterday qualified for the Taifa Cup quarterfinal matches to be played at the Indoor Stadium in Dar es Salaam today.
Dar es Salaam men`s beat Mtwara 64-43 with George Tarimo and Mohamed Yusuphy scoring 10 and eight points respectively for the winners.
Emmanuel Mwikola and Musho Mully scored 15 and four points, respectively for Mtwara.
Dar es Salaam ladies` defeated Mbeya 74-30. The winners led 26-14 until half time. Neema Emmanuel scored 11 points and Grace Daud nine to steer the home side into victory.
Top scorers for Mbeya were Asha Mkwawa (8) and Paullina Tomasha (9).
Their opponents were expected to be known after yesterday games.

By Malyo Njedengwa

Dar es Salaam ladies whitewashed Mwanza 58-19 in a one sided Taifa Cup basketball match at the Indoor Stadium in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

The winners were 37-13 until the breather. Neema Emmanuel and Grace Daud scored 17 and nine points respectively for the home side while top scorers for Mwanza were Teddy Shelukindo (7) while Ndingwako William and Mariam Shiraz registered.

Mara defeated Morogoro 61-49 in the men�s game. The lake zone team led 29-27 until the middle of the game.
The highest scorers for Mara were Justin Mkama (17) and Gryson George (10).
Fredrick Mtandu and Abdul Karusha scored 11 and seven points respectively for the losers.

Arusha defeated Shinyanga 71-66 in another men`s game. Arusha led 39-38 until the half time.
Kelvin Hozo emerged the top scorers of the winners after scoring 31 points and Robert Edward 15.

Egypt reached the second round of the Arab nations chapionship in Tunisia,Three Consecetive wins over Syria,Sudan and last night over morroco 73-60.The last night game was not that easy as the morrocon players struggled till the last 3 min when the score was tide at 58-58.The Egyptians showed thier experince of the last minites when Wael Badr the man of the match started driving to the rim scoring easy lay ups.Three teams from each gruop will go to the second round.

by Sande Bashaija
Lugogo

Mogas Falcons will have to wait for another year to play continental basketball following their withdrawal from the ongoing Africa Zone 5 Club Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The MTN-Fuba League men's topflight reigning champions were let down by lack of funds. In a desperate move to raise over Shs51m required to take a 19-man contingent, Falcons management wrote to President Yoweri Museveni for financial assistance.

Although the President's response was positive, it came too late for the funds to be processed from the sports ministry in time for the tournament that got underway Tuesday evening. "We could only travel last (Tuesday) night. But it required the ministry more time to get us money," Falcons Patron John Ssimbwa said yesterday. "It's disappointing because we invested in a lot of time and effort. However, it was a learning curve for us," Ssimbwa added.
Falcons' withdrawal now leaves National League women champions KCC Leopards as Uganda's only representatives. Champions in both the men's and women's categories earn a slot to the Africa Club Championships due next month. "We have missed a great and rare opportunity," Ssimba noted.
Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (Fuba) assistant general secretary Joseph Manano said they were waiting for Falcons to formally inform them of their withdrawal. "They have a backlog of about four league games. If they have pulled out, we shall have to fix the games soon," Manano said.
The six-time league champions were though lucky to survive a two-year ban and cash fine. "We had not confirmed participation and that has saved us from suspension," Simbwa said.

Tomorrow at Lugogo
MBC Rocks v Berkley 5pm
KIU Rangers v Sparks 6:30pm
UCU Canons v Miracle 8pm

by Charles Mutebi
Kampala

Men's national basketball champions Mogas Falcons have failed to raise funds to travel to Ethiopia for the Africa Zone V club championships.

Uganda will now be represented only in the women's event. KCC Leopards travelled early this week for the event that started Tuesday.
The Falcons had hoped that the sports ministry would assist to sponsor their 19-man team .
FUBA secretary Tom Ocamiringa said Uganda would not face a FIBA fine since Falcons had not confirmed their participation.
Teams that fail to travel for tournaments face a penalty from world governing body FIBA equivalent to a $3000 (over sh7.5m) fine and a two-year ban from international events.
"Falcons would have only been fined if they had confirmed their participation but they had told the organisers to wait until Tuesday to confirm whether they would be attending."

Meanwhile, Makerere Sparks have won their protest against Lady Canons for arriving late for their October 25 match.

The FUBA technical committee ruled Tuesday that Canons were guilty of arriving past the allotted time and stripped them of two points from winning the match 92-65 and awarded them to the Sparks.

by Sande Bashaija
Lugogo

Today’s matches
Nabisunsa v Sparks 5pm
Planets v Rhino 6:30pm
KIU v Crane High 8pm
Sunday results
Power 111-106 Marines
KIU 74-66 Hawks
Sparks 51-48 Rhino
Friday
MBC Rocks v Berkley
Rangers v Mak Sparks
Canons v Miracle

Kampala International University (KIU) must beat Crane High School tonight to stand any chance of making the MTN-Fuba League play-offs. Following a convincing 74-66 away win against Gulu Hawks over the weekend, KIU are now within touching distance of a play-offs slot but need victory against relegated Crane High at Lugogo Indoor stadium.

KIU are flexing for a place with Uganda Christian University (UCU) Canons and a loss tonight will put paid to all their hopes of a maiden appearance in the post season.

Complex situation
The situation is so complex that even a win may not see KIU through as long as Canons defeat Miracle in their last game on Friday. If they both negotiate their fixtures, KIU and UCU will be tied on 30 points after 18 games but the latter will progress on head-to-head basis.

Should KIU win tonight and UCU falter, the former will take the last play-offs berth. Already, Kyambogo Warriors, Sadolin Power and Mogas Falcons have booked the top three places. Despite recruiting big stars in Michael Karuiki, Moses Olobo and Mande Juruni, KIU have once again failed to compete favourably with the top sides.

Basing on their unpredictability, the Kasanga-based side may even find trouble in shoving aside Crane High, who have one of the league’s leading scorers Phillip Wakimwero. Fast-improving Nabisunsa are tipped to give former champions Makerere Sparks a tough challenge in the day’s opening game.

MBU ROCKERS completed the semifinal line-up in the men’s Sanken Cup with a narrow win on Monday at Victoria Gymnasium.

The Rockers left it late, winning the fourth quarter 26-16, to come out on top of RC Dynamics on a 78-73 score to set up a semifinal date with Men’s Division One League champions Baya. The match is scheduled for tomorrow at 5.15pm at Victoria Gymnasium.
Swingman Cyril Agrippine led all scores with 27 points and playmaker Nigel Sinon added 24 in the Rockers’ victory.
As for RC Dynamics, who led 21-12 at the end of the first quarter, 33-32 at half-time and 57-52 at the start of the fourth quarter, they were paced by Jean-Paul Camille with 24 points, and James Joubert made an 18-point contribution.
Baya walked over Juniors last Saturday and dumped Beau Vallon Heat 85-50 on Sunday to seal a place in the semifinals.
Today’s first semifinal is between PLS Hawks and Anse Etoile. Defending champs Hawks trounced Division Two winners Mont Fleuri Dawgz 89-30 last Saturday and the following day they got the better of former league and cup winners Premium Cobras on an 89-78 score.
As for second division outfit Anse Etoile, they walked over two top-flight teams – Cascade Bullets and Razors – during the weekend.


G. G.

NBL 2008/2009

The 2008/2009 NBL league first round kicked off over the weekend. This year saw the registration of one new team in the male category; Limkwonkwing University. There are still three teams in the female section.

The results of the games that were played are as follows:

Lerotholi Polytechnic Vs Limkwokwing (Male) 49-14
Leseli Vs Rovers (Male) 26-28
Lerotholi Polytechnic Vs Rovers (Female)33-24
Bashana-Baeso Vs Rovers (Male)50-46

The second week of the first round will be played in Butha Buthe on the 1st Nov 2008. And the schedule is yet to be released

Power 111 Marines 106
KIU 74 Hawks 66
Women
Sparks 51 Rhino 48
Isaac Afidra and Joseph Ikong led Sadolin Power to a thrilling 111-106 MTN-FUBA league victory over Nkumba Marines with 29 and 28 points respectively. Power, at 30 points, is assured of qualification to the playoffs with a game to spare. They need just a point from their final game.

PREMIUM COBRAS will end the 2008 season empty handed. On Sunday, at the Palais des Sports, they were bundled out of the men’s Sanken Cup by arch-rivals PLS Hawks.

In the women’s competition, Anse Etoile Stars have progressed to the best-of-three final against HotShots. The two are expected to bring the best out of each other when they lock horns.
After losing their Men’s Division One League title to Baya, PLS Hawks now have as their target defending the cup – now the Sanken Cup – and they collected two wins in as many days.

The defending champions beat Division Two winners Mont Fleuri Dawgz 89-30 last Saturday at Victoria Gymnasium, and the following day they dispatched former league and cup winners Premium Cobras on an 89-78 score to reach the semifinal.
Winners of the curtain-raiser Jhelum Cup at the start of the season, PLS Hawks’ next opponents are lower division outfit Anse Etoile, who walked over two top-flight teams – Cascade Bullets and Razors – during the weekend.

The Hawks will play Anse Etoile tomorrow at 5.15pm at Victoria Gymnasium.
In the bottom half of the men’s draw, first-time men’s Division One league champions Baya, who walked over Juniors last Saturday, dumped Beau Vallon Heat 85-50 on Sunday to seal a place in the semifinals.
They were to know their semifinal opponents last night as MBU Rockers were to play RC Dynamics in the last quarterfinal encounter. The second finalists will be decided on Thursday night.

In the women’s competition, Anse Etoile Stars are hoping for better fortune. After relinquishing the League title to HotShots, the Stars, who won the Jhelum Cup in March, are after the Sanken Cup to save their season.
On Sunday, they defeated Mont Fleuri 74-55 to make the best-of-three final against defending champions HotShots, who will not have to play their second semifinal today as Juniors do not have a complete team.
The first finals have been scheduled for Sunday November 2 and the second ones will be played a week later. If the finalists are then locked on one win each, the third matches will be played on Sunday November 9.

G. G.

By Malyo Njedengwa

Men`s defending champions Dar es Salaam`s Dream Team extended their lead when they defeated Tabora 56- 32 in a national basketball championship (Taifa Cup) match yesterday.
This is the second win for the hosts who beat Dodoma 76-46 in the opening match played at the Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
Dar es Salaam led 32-16 until the halftime. Francis Agustino and George Tarimo emerged top scorers for winners when they scored 17 and 10 points, respectively.
Top scorers for Tabora were Steven Agamas (13) and Abdallah Ahmed (9).
Unguja hit Mbeya 30-27 in the women`s match played on the same ground yesterday.

The champion of the Nigeria men league – The Premier league will emerge as the final-8 playoffs dunks-off at the ancient city of Kano Tuesday with Nigeria Customs Service men basketball club who did not make the cut from the Atlantic conference took the place of former champion, Ebun Comets basketball club of Lagos who withdrew its participation from the championship.

The playoffs apart from producing the champion of the Nigeria domestic league for the 2007/2008 season will also produce Nigeria representative at the FIBA Africa Zone-3 qualifiers to be staged by Union Bank basketball between November 11 and 18 in Lagos.

The final-8 playoffs which was postponed due to Nigeria U18 national team participation at the 16th FIBA Africa Championship for U18 Men which was rounded off last Sunday in Alexandra, Egypt.

Eight teams are already in Kano with the Customs as the last team to arrival for the championship which pitched four qualifiers each from the Atlantic and Savannah conference of the Premier League.

The teams that are battling for the soul of the Nigerian league includes from the Atlantic conference Union Bank, Dodan Warriors, Islanders and Customs and carrying the challenge from the Savannah conference are Niger Potters, Kano Pillars, Plateau Peaks and AHIP basketball clubs.

The winner will be decided through point’s accumulation as the playoffs will go through a round-robin process with all eight teams having the opportunity to play one another.

By Olusegun Ikuesan fiba.com

Egypt 67-53 Sayria,last night egypt made a great win over sayria in the Arab basketball championship held in Tunisia,the Egyptians started the game with a 10 points lead 28-18,kerdany and Ramy played a great game last night also wael badr was very suppotive to his team mates with a lot of assists,the first round showed three big teams jordan ,Tunisia,egypt, who almost booked their places in the semi final.Egypt group icludes Morroco,Sudan,Sayria,Jordan.The Egyptians will play a very easy game tonight against the sudanies team.

by Olusegun Ikuesan)
Force Headquarters and Zone-2 formations of the Nigeria Police Monday continue their impressive run in the basketball event of the Nigeria Police Games which enters Day-4 today.

Men and Women of the two formations recorded good results over their opponents Monday at the refurbished basketball court of the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos.

Force Headquarters Women open the day with a resounding victory of 41-09 points victory over Zone-5 using their rich experience to overwhelm their opponent in the one sided game.
The victory by the FHQ women propelled their men who humbled Zone-7 by 44-25 points with former Police Bombers basketball club experience centre, Michael Togun staging a comeback to the game that brought him fame and fortune.

Zone-2 Men and Women took their turn in the late evening of the day with victories over Zone-1 (48-33 Men) and a scrapped 30-29 points victory over Zone-6 in the women category.

Other results from games played Monday, Women Zone-1 20-0 (w/o); Zone-7 50-12 Zone-8 and in the Men Zone-11 41-35 Zone-9 and Zone-12 40-25 Zone-5.

Action continue Tuesday with eight matches on the bill, at 08.00 hours Zone-5 will do battle against FHQ (Men), at 09.30 hours the women from Zone-2 will see if they can add their counterpart from Zone-1 as one of their prey, it will be the turn of Zone-2 against Zone-9 at 10.30 hours in the Men cadre while Zone-8 women battles Zone-5 in a match where one of the two side must record a win as both sides have been at the receiving since the Games began. The match comes up at Noon.

Other games on the bill for the day includesZone-11 Vs Zone-1 (Men) at 13.00 hours; Zone-11 Vs Zone-6 (Women) 14.30 hours; Zone-7 against FHQ (Women) at 15.30 hours while the last match of the day will be between Zone-7 and Zone-12 (Men) at 16.30 hours.

by Corry Ihuhua

The Tomahawks women's basketball side emulated their male counterparts by capturing the Khomas Basketball Association (KBA) title at the weekend.
The Tomahawks side walked away as the champions for the season with a 49-35 win in their last and deciding match against Unam Sparks on Friday.
The two teams played the best of three games, of which Tomahawks made it two against one in the end.
The women's side rounded off the weekend with another victory by scooping the KBA Cup on Saturday as they went past Polytech by 75-21 points.
However, the Polytech men's side claimed the title in that category when they beat Titans 70-61 in the final.

Yesterday, the league treasurer, Wolgang Kleine confirmed that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) was due to take place last night.
He said there were people who were identified to fill in the positions on the committee and were due to be endorsed last night.
Kleine said he will not stand for the presidency of the KBA as earlier reported, but will instead serve as a league director.
"I don't want to stand for the position.
I will serve the association in a different capacity," he said.
Both the KBA and the Namibia Basketball Federation (NBF) have been running their activities without sponsors for a few years now.

by Sande Bashaija
Kampala

As the MTN-Fuba League play-offs draw closer, all possible postseason candidates are strategizing and monitoring their opponents. Every team would be happy to take on a weaker opponent in the best of three semifinal series that get underway on November 7.

For starters, the leading four teams after the regular season make the play-offs with number one playing four and two against three. Ideally, every team would love to finish top and engage number four, which is considered weaker. But Sadolin Power skipper Isaac Afidra says his team is unbothered. According to him, every team that makes the postseason is strong enough to win the championship.
"Things are very different when it comes to play-offs. I wouldn't say I want us to play a certain team because they are all strong," Afidra told Score Line after Power got the better of Kyambogo Warriors 79-75 at Lugogo last Wednesday.

Yet, Warriors is the team many had tipped to take this year's championship after an impressive first round performance that saw them lose only once. While Warriors were sailing through their first round fixtures but one against lowly Miracle Eagles, all their championship rivals including UCU Canons and Falcons were struggling.
Power equally had a torrid time in first round, losing three of their nine games and few If any considered them serious championship contenders.

Okecho's death

In returning to Power from Kampala International University (KIU), Afidra couldn't wait to link up with Wilbrod Okecho. Everyone was talking about how the duo's partnership would torment opponents. But the most unfortunate happened as Okecho died of bullet wounds on May 14.
Okecho seemed to have left a gap too big to fill but Power have surprisingly responded positively. Since the second round got underway at the beginning of September, they have only lost once in seven games.

But that controversial 46-48 loss to Falcons and Okecho's death haven't dissuaded Power from chasing a third championship. With only one regular season game, Power are leading the standings on 30 points, one ahead of Warriors. UCU Canons trail them on 28.
Whereas Power have proved consistent, their likely semifinal opponents UCU Canons are on the wane. Unbeaten in last year's regular season, Canons have so far recorded six losses and may not be strong enough to deal with Power's might.

Going by current form, Power can only be considered underdogs if they come up against defending champions Falcons in the finals. It's one side that has always troubled Power, even when they (Falcons) are not in convincing form.
"We are taking it a game at a time. It's not in order to talk of facing Falcons in the final when we haven't made it there. Basketball is too unpredictable but our team looks good and ready for any challenge," Afidra, who only returned to action last week after a three-month lay-off noted.

Behind Power's impressive run is one unsung hero in Barnes Ankunda, a former Nkumba Marines player who has taken it upon himself to control the team bench. "People overlook Barnes but he has done a good job. Players do respect what he does and all credit to him," Afidra said.

Overlooked as a player while still at Marines, Barnes could guide Power to a first trophy since 2000 when the season climaxes next month. For now, Power look odds on favourites but transforming the current form into medals is their biggest challenge.

Wednesday at Lugogo
Sparks v Nabisunsa 5pm
Biston v Rhino 6:30pm
KIU v Crane High 8pm

BY JULIUS MBARAGA

Marine and APR yesterday jetted out of the country to take part in this year’s Zone 5 Africa club championship that officially throws off today in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The clubs left aboard Ethiopian Airlines and will contend for the zone crown with a variety of top clubs from Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Eritrea among others.
Marine, whose debut appearance in the tournament seemed very doubtful due to shortage of funds received last minute support from the a host of sponsors.

by Sande Bashaija
Kampala

Mogas Falcons’ hopes of travelling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the Africa Zone 5 Club Championships, have steadily faded. The MTN-Fuba League champions are meant to travel tomorrow but lack of funds may prompt them to call-off the trip. “If we fail to leave on Tuesday (tomorrow), we’ll try to inform the organisers about our situation. I know they can accommodate us in the fixture as long they are sure of our participation,” Falcons Patron John Ssimbwa said yesterday.

The six-time national league winners held a fund raising dinner at Arirang Restaurant last Friday but the results never met their expectations. “Being the first time to have such an event, we can’t complain. We managed to launch our website (www.falconsdc.org) and also got some money,” Ssimbwa added.

Falcons need over Shs51m to take a 19-man contingent for the tournament due October 28-November 1. With not more than Shs20m in their coffers, the club management wrote to President Yoweri Museveni last week seeking financial assistance. “We expect a feedback from the President’s office on Tuesday then we plan ahead. But we are still optimistic,” said Ssimbwa.

If Falcons fail to make the trip they will be fined $3,000 (about Shs6.3m) by the world basketball governing body- Fiba and suspended from international competitions for two years.

Falcons’ situation implies Uganda may not have a men’s team at the championship following Kyambogo Warriors’ withdrawal a few weeks back. “We failed to get sponsorship and its not easy sending a strong team without enough funds,” Warriors boss Ambrose Tashobya said. “I just hope Falcons can secure the necessary funds and represent us,” Tashobya, who is also the local basketball governing body - Fuba, president added.

The good news though is that even if Falcons fail to make the trip, Uganda will still have representatives in women champions KCC Leopards who left this morning (3am) for Addis Ababa. “The team is in fine form and we are expecting good results in the tournament,” KCC Leopards team manager Joy Olinga said yesterday.
Sumini Nabatanzi has been appointed captain, replacing Miriam Hamala.

“The players met yesterday and chose Sumini,” Olinga said.
Daily Monitor though learnt that Hamala’s could have lost the captaincy due to her unsuccessful transfer from Leopards for KIU Rangers at end of last season.

The club’s leading scorer together with Becky Akullo only resumed playing for KCC Leopards mid-season after their transfers to KIU Rangers had stalled.

Meanwhile, A-1 Challenge also won’t make the trip, leaving KCC Leopards as the only female Ugandan team in the showpiece.
Champions (men and women) will qualify for the Africa Club Championships.

KCC squad: Hamala, Akullo, Nabatanzi (captain), Carol Nantalo (assisitant captain) Mary Akello, Diana Namukasa, Dorothy Nakyirowa, Frances Nabulobi, Annete Nakiwu, Juliet Sabano, Monica Sima, Linda Tamale and Peace Proscovia

by Sherif Soliman
What a night the Egyptian team won over Angola 84-83. Dramaticly the brave player Ziad Ashmawy the youngest player in the team took the last shot before 5 sec from the end.The Angloaian players kept the lead most of the game but they couldnt stop the MVP player of the league Amr Sherif El Gendy who was last night on fire.This win was the first since 25 years over Angola who leads the african basketball with almost no threating.The players and thier coach celibrated the great win togther.

by Tim Ndjiki
During three weeks, about twenty players of city basketball of Port-Gentil, Libreville and Lambarne, who stayed in the boarding school of Joseph Ambouroue High school Avaro (LIAA) reinforced their technical expertise. Some which is pupils will be kept within the club sponsored by Total Gabon, more than ever attached to the notion of sport-school. In addition to the certificates of involvement, some good school stationeries given to them.
The ASSCTG (Social for, Sports and Cultural Association of Total Gabon), in aiming for the title of Champion of Gabon the next season and is preparing its noble and legitimate ambition. It is one of the objectives at by the summer camp of 2008 organized at the Joseph Ambouroue Avaro (LIAA) high school and that knew its epilogue last weekend.
This camp has been organized to improve the technical and physical capacities of players; but also to recruit the best players who will be members of the ASSCTG club for the season 2008-2009.
The new president of this club, Mathurin MENGUE BIBANG who replaced Mr Marc Antoine IGONDJO, is also a former basketball player and ex-president of Gabonese Basket ball Federation (1992-1996); he privileged recruitment of players who attend school.
The new president wishes that all sportsmen of his ASSCTG club have a reassuring future as they while going to school play basketball. Total Gabon that is the main sponsor put all for the school success of these young basketball players of ASSCTG. The president Mathurin MENGUE BIBANG also asked his technical staff to occupy the first ranks in the federal competitions with a fair - play spirit.
At the time of this summer 2008 camp the gymnasium of the ASSCTG, a match gala opposed the selection of the basketball camp to the one of the city of Port-Gentil.The selection of Port-Gentil won the game on the score of 78 to 77. This official reception has been heightened by the presence of Mrs. Sylvie KOTHA, President of the Gabonese Basketball Federation.

The Libyan national senior basketball team lost against Algeria 68-83 ,the new coach Filip-Luetic Neven entered the game with experience players but they fall short against an organized Algerian team who managed to control the game from the begining extending the lead to 19 points ,the libyan national team coach changed his tactics and managed to cut the lead but they could not keep up with the Algerian team as they missed many opportunities to score.

Alfateh Mohammed Belgacem was the best player from libya scoring 39 points.

by Julius Mbaraga
Kigali

Local basketball fans have been forced to hold back their excitement for the play offs final after recent adjustments in the national league schedule.

According to the local basketball federation (Ferwaba), the play offs finals have been put on hold for two weeks to pave way for the Zone 5 Africa Club Championships.
"We have temporarily called off the play offs because APR and Marine are traveling to Ethiopia for the Zone 5 club championships," a Ferwaba official said.
Marine progressed to the final after hard-fought victories over Cercle Sportif (CSK) while APR garnered defaults points over Rusizi.
The Zone 5 club championships are scheduled for October 27-November 1 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where Rwanda will field three teams.
The championship's defending champions APR and domestic league champions Marine will compete in the men's category while APR's ladies counterparts will showcase Rwanda's basketball potential in the ladies' category.
Other clubs in the race for the title include; Kenya's quartet of KPA, KCB Lions, Co-operative Bank and United States International University (USIU) Flames, Uganda's KCC, Marines, Falcons and A1 Challenge amongst others.

SANKEN has taken over the sponsorship of the usual Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) Cup tournament.

Premium Cobras’ president Roy Collie broke the news to Sports Nation yesterday and said: “I’m happy Sanken has responded positively and its financial support has surely kept Seychelles basketball alive and kicking.”
In fact, Mr Collie decided, eight days ago, to sponsor the tournament himself after the SBF suspended the tournament during the course of last week as it did not have enough money to pay match officials.

Mr Collie also told Sports Nation he did this for the love of basketball.
Although running the tournament will cost at least R40,000, he said there was a need to save the tournament and the sport. At the same time, he invited all potential sponsors to come forward and help in every way they can.

G. G.

by Sande Bashaija
Lugogo

Friday result
Leopards 57-55 A-1 Challenge
KIU 69-64 Nkumba
Sparks 65-92 Lady Canons
Today at Namboole
Sparks v Amazon Rhino
Heaters v Planets
Victoria v A-1 Challenge
Rocks v Bugema
Riders v Berkley
Power v Nkumba Marines

Kampala City Council (KCC) Leopards got a confidence boost ahead of next week’s Africa Zone 5 Clubs Championship in Ethiopia, outlasting A-1 Challenge 57-55 in an MTN-Fuba League game played Friday night at Lugogo Indoor stadium.

Coming off a loss to Uganda Christian University (UCU) Lady Canons, the defending champions needed a perfect recovery and showed maturity on Friday enroute to ending A-1 Challenge’s 17-match unbeaten run.
Leopards took the initiative, winning the first quarter 13-12 but A-1 Challenge hit back to take a two-point lead (28-26) into recess and looked set to avenge their first round (47-44) loss. But a composed Leopards side led by Miriam Hamala (19 points) leveled the game at 40-all in the subsequent session and sealed victory in the last quarter 17-15.
The towering Annette Nakiwu got 13 points to her name while reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Linda Tamale added eight for KCC Leopards, who will now depart for Addis Ababa on Tuesday in a buoyant mood.

Winless in five
A-1 Challenge have now failed to beat KCC in five meetings, having surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose last season’s best of five final series to the same team.
After they were docked four points by the technical committee because of reporting late for the game against UCU a few weeks ago, the loss also means A-1 Challenge (29 points) could finish third in the regular season and face KCC (35) again in the play-offs.
Elizabeth Kiiza led A-1 Challenge with 13 points, Betty Namukasa and Ali Mavita had eight apiece while Rosette Meya added seven.

Egypt 75--62 Senegal last night the Under 18 team crushed the Senegal team in the semifinal game of African championship U18 held in Alexandria.It was a very tough game full of agression from the senegal fans who show a lot of violence and damage when they start to feel that they will lose the game.The final game will be held tonight between Egypt vs Angola.Angola won over Niegeria last night to reach the final and catch up with the Egyptian team to newzeland.

Canon Royals are champions for this year's annual basketball championships. They won this year's competition by defeating their arch rivals YSC in a very stiff encounter.
In the first quarter Canon Royals won it by 19-12 and the second quarter which was very exciting saw Canon Royals maintaining their lead by winning the second quarter by 33-23
The third quarter which seemed full of physical strength was decided in their favor by winning it 48-33 the last quarter ended 61-53
The third place competition was a win for YMCA after they defeated Central Phoenix in a best of three. During the playoffs the best four teams in the competition had the chance to fight for the championship which was won by Canon Royals.

The national coach of basketball in Sierra Leone, Ali Hijazi, has told Awoko Sports that the discipline had dropped to such a level that interested people need to come on board to promote it.
He noted that for the game to take a different phase in the country some companies and private individuals needed to sponsor it.
Ali Hijazi mentioned that it had taken a long time they had not gone out to play international friendlies but that last year they decided to go to Liberia where they played six matches.
“We only won one match out of the six matches and we lost the remaining matches because of lack of international exposure,” he observed.
Coach Hijazi said they had wanted to organize the Mano River Union Game two years ago but the ministry only gave them two million Leones which was not enough.
He mentioned that Sierra Leone had a lot of talented basketball players who needed exposure.
He appealed to participating clubs to take the matches seriously and abide by the rules of the game.
Today's competition will be between Ashonix and Bel-Air and on Thursday, Central Phynix will battle against YMCA

As the basketball competition continued at the National Stadium basketball court YMCA came very strong after losing their first match against YSC and defeated their opponents Central Phynix by 53-54
In the first quarter it was 19-18 in favour of YMCA. In the second quarter it was 35-25 and in the third quarter it was 39-30 in favour of YMCA. And the final quarter ended 53-44 in favour of YMCA to record their first victory in the competition.
In the other encounter Lumley Dreams continued their winning spree when they defeated their opponents Forceans by 43-40 in a very stiff encounter.
From the start to the end of the match it was a very tight contest. In the first quarter it was 10-9 in favour of Lumley Dreams, and in the second quarter they still maintained their lead by 21-20. In the third quarter, it was 33-29 still in favour of Lumley Dreams and in the final quarter ended 43-40 to give Lumley Dreams their second winning in the competition.
During the match Yaya Jabba of Lumley Dreams made the highest point of 12 while Hoody Lymon of Forceans made the highest point of 10 for his own side.
The coach of Lumley Dreams, Paul Brewah, said winning their two matches was not magic because the players had been together for a very long time, and that they were playing as a team that was why they were able to achieve their goal as a team.
He also noted that their team had a lot of mature players, adding that they also had younger players who had shown to be a force to reckon with in the future.

As the Basketball competition continues over the weekend at the basketball court at the National Stadium YSC continued their winning spree when they defeated their opponent Ashonix by 71-31
In the first quarter, YSC scored 26 points while Ashonix scored 4 points in the second quarter it was 46-4
They were able to maintain the lead in the third quarter with a scored line of 63-8 and the finally quarter YSC won the match with a scored of 71-31 with 40 points margin.
During the match, Osman Jalloh of YSC made the highest point for his side with 25 points while David C of Ashonix made the highest score of 9 for his side
During the match, YSC dominated the match from start to finish in every department to secure their second victory in the league in which there are seven more matches to go .
In the other encounter, Cannon Royals defeated
Central Phynix by 64-48 in a very exciting and thrilling encounter and James Johnson of Cannon Royals made the highest scored of 23 points for his side with Ishmael Bangura made the highest scored for Central Phynix the competition continue this week.

The Western Area Basketball Association has started its inter-club basketball competition at the National Stadium in Freetown.
Ten teams are taking part in the competition in a round robin. The teams include YSC, Cannon Royals, Central Phynix, Lumely Dreams, Forceans, Dinka 'B'Ashonix, Freetown Lakers, YMCA and Bel-Air.
In the opening match, YSC defeated YMCA by 49 points to 36 points after a well exciting match that saw both teams fighting for supremacy in every department of the game.
The game of basketball consists of 80 minutes, and is divided into four quarters and each quarter consists of 20 minutes before a five-minute break.
But in this particular match both teams agreed to play for 15 minutes in each quarter as the match did not start on time.
In the first quarter YSC scored 15 points while YMCA scored 10 points. In the second quarter it was 31;25, third quarter scored was 36;32 and in the final quarter YSC score 49 points and YMCA 36 points.
During the competition Robin Coker of YSC scored the highest point of 16 while Alfred Conteh of YMCA scored 11 points.
The head coach of YSC, Alie Hijazi who also doubles as the national coach, said during the match the first three quarters were stiff as YMCA were very determined to win the match.
He noted that they got control of the match in the last quarter where they were able to make vital points to carry the day.
He mentioned that winning the first game in the competition was very important for his boys and that they were going to keep the momentum as “we have eight more games to play before the best four teams will be playing play offs to find the winner”.
Coach Hijazi also noted that they had won the competition five out of the seven times it had been organized. “This is a sign that YSC is a team to reckon with in basketball,” he noted.
He said for the past 18 months they were not playing any competitions but was impressed with the team's performance even though it was not their first team as most of the first team players were suspended.
Coach Hijazi noted that during the competition more young talents would be discovered, and appealed to companies and individual to come on board to sponsor the competition.
The competition would continue tomorrow between Ashonix and Bel-Air

By Charles Mutebi

MTN-FUBA League
Today
Women, Lugogo
Cubs v Leopards
A1 v Nabisunsa
Men, Gulu
Hawks v Eagles

THE Gulu Hawks face the Miracle Eagles in the MTN-FUBA men's division 1 with every reason to savour their place in the big-time. Having ensured their stay in top flight for at least another season, the Hawks will have the option of taking the time to pinch themselves for a job well done.

The Hawks were promoted from the second division behind the KCC Lions and Crane High and were therefore been favourites to be one of the two sides to the drop at the end of the season.

But the Hawks have proved a tricky customer, exploiting their position as the only club to actually host games (in Gulu). Two of those, against KIU and the Nkumba Marines, sent shock waves through out the league.

BY JULIUS MBARAGA

Local basketball fans have been forced to hold back their excitement for the play offs final after recent adjustments in the national league schedule.

According to the local basketball federation (Ferwaba), the play offs finals have been put on hold for two weeks to pave way for the Zone 5 Africa Club Championships.
“We have temporarily called off the play offs because APR and Marine are traveling to Ethiopia for the Zone 5 club championships,” a Ferwaba official said.
Marine progressed to the final after hard-fought victories over Cercle Sportif (CSK) while APR garnered defaults points over Rusizi.
The Zone 5 club championships are scheduled for October 27-November 1 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where Rwanda will field three teams.
The championship’s defending champions APR and domestic league champions Marine will compete in the men’s category while APR’s ladies counterparts will showcase Rwanda’s basketball potential in the ladies’ category.

Other clubs in the race for the title include; Kenya’s quartet of KPA, KCB Lions, Co-operative Bank and United States International University (USIU) Flames, Uganda’s KCC, Marines, Falcons and A1 Challenge amongst others.

by Philip Onyango
Nairobi

Kenya Ports Authority has named a 12 strong member women basketball team which leaves the country on Saturday for Ethiopia for the zone five club championships which run from October 27 to November 2.

Releasing the names during the flag handing ceremony at the Mbaraki Sports ground on Saturday, team coach Anthony Ojukwu said he had retained a majority of the players who did duty when the team clinched the title in Rwanda last year.

Only three new faces will be making their debut among them Kenya under 18 guard Helen Adhiambo Oketch and Verlma Naliaka while Brenda Ageshi who played for Sprite Storms during the Kigali championships will now be donning the KPA colours.
Other players making the team are Caroline Arato, Agnes Anyango, Joyce Makhungu, Irene Murambi, Caroline Mureji, Mwajuma Suleiman, Yvonne Akinyi, Everlyne Akoth, and Susan Anyango.
Sammy Wanjohi will accompany the team as head coach cum assistant team manager, KPA welfare and sports officer Edward Oduor will be team Manager, Dina Chepyator doctor while KPA personnel manager Jayne Kamau will be leader of delegation.
The team which received the flag from KPA Managing Director James Mlewa also received T-shirts from GTV through Channels and distribution manager Raphael Kamami.
Mlewa promised to assist all the KPA teams which will perform well in both local and international events and urged the women basketball team to work hard and retain the title.

MTN-Fuba League women champions KCC Leopards face A-1 Challenge at Lugogo Indoor stadium tonight in a game the mayor’s girls will use to gauge their strength ahead of next week’s Africa Zone 5 tournament in Ethiopia.

KCC Leopards edged A-1 Challenge 3-2 to win last season’s championship but the latter look favourites this year. A-1 Challenge have dropped only four points this season courtesy of a boardroom decision after UCU Lady Canons filed a petition contesting the former’s late arrival for the two teams first round fixture.

“UCU were awarded points for that game and the return fixture. It was a loss by forfeiture to A-1 Challenge,” Fuba Assistant General Secretary Joseph Manano said yesterday.
The decision meant A-1 Challenge lost top spot in the table and are now lying third with 28 points from 17 games. Leopards are second with 33 points, one behind UCU Lady Canons. The two teams have played 18 games.
Though the table standings show KCC Leopards above A-1 Challenge, their recent form hasn’t been as convincing. Despite the return of Miriam Hamala and Becky Akullo, the Leopards were last week outplayed and beaten by Canons, a game that exposed some loopholes in their defence and finishing.
But well known for turning on the style in tight situations, KCC Leopards are still capable of lifting themselves up. In the day’s opening game, Lady Canons, already through to the play-offs, face Makerere Sparks, who have been too inconsistent this season.

In the men’s fixture, Nkumba University Marines have a chance of recouping their winning touch against the strong but unimpressive Kampala International University (KIU). Both sides are playing for a better positioning but won’t make the post season.

In the men’s topflight table leaders, Warriors must be celebrating after their game with Falcons was postponed. The postponment gives them a much-needed breather after they suffered their third loss against Power on Wednesday night.
Power moved to second place following the 79-75 victory over the Warriors who are currently struggling to get back to form. Elsewhere, Falcons are holding a fund raising dinner at Arirang Restaurant tonight. They need Shs51m to travel to Ethiopia.

Nigeria's Under-18 men's basketball team are poised to retain the African title after winning three of their matches at the ongoing 16th FIBA Championship in Egypt .

Emmanuel Okolo, the team's assistant coach, told the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN ) in a telephone interview that the Junior Tigers outplayed Algeria 69-63 in the third match.
They had earlier beaten Cote d' Ivoire 66-53 and Kenya 81-49.
Okolo said Nigeria would take on Congo DR later today and a victory over the Central Africans would take the Tigers to the quarter-finals.
He said that the spirit in camp was high, adding that there was cohesion in the team and hoped the confidence created by the successes, would give them the edge.
"Our boys have been playing to expectations and I don't see anything stopping them now.
"I want to believe that the performance is as a result of hard work, the series of clinics, and camping organised for young players in the country before our departure," Okolo said.

NAN reports that four of the five teams in the group will qualify for the quarter-finals. The five teams in the group are Nigeria , Algeria , Congo DR, Kenya and Angola.

FIRST EDITION OF NATIONAL SEMIDETACHED CADETS AND JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE CITY OF LAMBARENE.
The competition was played at the tray of basketball of the High school Charles MEFANE '. It is the first time that the Federation Gabonese of Basketball (FEGABAB), organize such a competition in a city situated at the inside of Gabon. Honour comes back to cadet of ENGONG, club of northern city (Oyem) and the IZO, club junior BB of the city of Lambarn, in absence of clubs of Libreville; they have taken back these competitions.
Four provinces honoured their presence:
The province of the Woleu Ntem with (ENGONG: Cadets and Junior).
The province of the Middle Ogoou (IZO BB: Cadets and Junior)
The province of Ogoou - Lolo (OLAB: Junior),
The Province of Ogoou - Ivindo (Elenga: Cadets and Junior))
Tenors of the two bigger provinces (Estuary and the Maritime Ogoou) having withdrawn, the team of the province of the north, ENGONG BB, took back the national title; shes driven by Christian NDONG.
Of his history, the junior team of the province of the Moyen Ogoou, driven by H. Osman, took back the national title also for the first time.
Absence remarque des Juniors de Stade Mandji de Port-Gentil

by africabasket.com

by Julius Mbaraga
Kigali

APR's Indomitable Lions are now Frw15m short of their total budget for the upcoming Africa Zone 5 Club Championships in Ethiopia following a big financial boost from Kent Point trading company.
The company recently boosted the defending champions with $10, 000 (about Frw5.5 millions).
APR, who will also field a ladies' team in the tournament due October 28-November 1 also received Frw1m from Utexrwa and 0.5m from Horizon Construction Company.
The Ministry of Sports and Culture (Minispoc) has also supplemented the teams' air tickets offer with a Frw6m cash support.
On the other hand, Marine, Rwanda's other representative at the tournament are growing restless by the day after failing to get substantial financial support. According to the club president Col. Firmin Bayingana, the club is counting on pledges.
"Time is running out. We received so many pledges but we have not received any positive response. But I'm very confident that the team will travel," Bayingana confidently stated.
However, should Marine fail to make the trip, they will receive a two-year ban penalty from Fiba-Africa, the continent's basketball governing body.
Marine booked their ticket to Ethiopia after being crowned 2007 National basketball league champions while APR has an automatic ticket after winning last year's edition (Zone 5) which was held in Kigali.
The Indomitable Lions roared their way to the crown after silencing Uganda's Nkumba University in the semi-finals and Kenya's KCB in the final.

After spending several years in the oblivion, the Cameroon national basketball team is gradually coming out of the lethargy in which it has been sleeping. The male national basketball won the silver medal during the African championship in Angola 2007, thereby propelling the country to the lime light of basketball in Africa. Today Cameroon is among the top ten teams in Africa in the 9th position and are ranked 50th at the world stage.

The country has no experience in the Olympic Games in basketball and the furthest they went was taking part in the pre-Olympic tournament ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Unfortunately, the country couldn't make to the final phase of the competition. Cameroon has equally never taken part in a world basketball championship and has taken part in the FIBA African Championship only four times.

The best performance recorded in the competition was the silver medal grabbed in Angola in 2007 thanks to the effort of stars mostly based in France and United States of America. Of the 12 players who took part in the Angolan expedition, only two were locally based from Phoenix basketball club in Douala. The heroes included team coach, Lazare Adingono, Alexandre N'kembe who plays for La Rochelle Rupella in France, Brice Vounang (SPO Rouen, France), Christian Bayang, Jean Pierre Elong (Phoenix Douala), Joachim Ekanga (Chalon-Sur-Saone), Joseph Owona (JSA Bordeaux), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute- (University of California, Los Angeles) ,Franck Ndongo(Virginia Commonwealth University), Parfait Bitee (University of Rhode Island), Patrick Bouli (Manhattan College) Romeo Dide Tatchoum (Brinkford Tbilisi) and Gaston Essengue (University of Nevada - Las Vegas)

by Corry Ihuhua

DOMESTIC basketball powerhouse Tomahawks dismissed Titans 78-71 to land yet another regional men's championships title of the coveted Khomas Basketball Association (KBA) at the weekend.

Leading points scorer Michael Mukumbuta was in uncompromising form when he scored 26 on the day, and was ably assisted by Paulo Cassanga, who went for the net 19 times.

In the first game between the two sides, Tomahawks romped to a 98-94 victory with Cassanga bagging 25 points, while Mukumbuta was in second with a score of 21.

The side won two from its best of three matches to be crowned champions.
They had won the regional title three times before - in 2005, 2003 and 2002.
Also in Saturday's match, Brian Hore contributed 11 points alongside long-serving Nigel Mubita with the same score, while MJ Paulus and Mandume Sakaria scored 7 and 5 points respectively to ensure victory for the 'Hawks.
Civics settled for third spot after they beat Plaza Warriors 74-70.

In the women's matches, Tomahawks were forced to wait a little longer to grab the title by Unam Sparks, as they were beaten 61-55 on Saturday.
Labaka Shangala caused all the damage for the much-fancied Tomahawks women's side, which was destined for a championship title provided they went past the university students in their second match from the best of three.

The Tomahawks women won their first match 66-63, with Meke Namindo producing 14 points, while Iriah Gideon, who was the leading scorer at the weekend with 14 points, managed to contribute 13.
Monde Sibolile and Gideon both produced 14 points for their side at the weekend, while Anna Ipito added a further 16 points to Unam Sparks to keep her side in contention for the title.
The two sides will go into a title decider tomorrow in a match scheduled for the Unam Gymnasium at 19h00.
Tomahawks women also won the title in 2005 and 2003.

NEW COMMITTEE Meanwhile, the secretary general of the KBA, Carlos Manuel, said they will hold a special general meeting which will see the election of new committee members.
The position of chairperson needs to be filled after Daniel Tjongarero resigned, while they are also looking for a new treasurer to replace incumbent Wolgang Kleine.
Tjongarero is still helping out with the logistics, according to Manuel.
Manuel said the association is struggling financially and is hoping to land a sponsor next season to improve the image of the sport and to possibly involve more teams.
Since the withdrawal of Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) from sponsoring the league about three years ago, all has not been well in the league.
The Namibia Basketball Federation (NBF), the umbrella body for the various regional leagues, has also lost its sponsorship deal with NamPower after alleged financial irregularities.
Manuel says they are aiming to convince the private sector to invest in the sport.
At the moment, there are no senior national teams for men or women, and only the under-17 and under-20 sides played competitively this year.

The under-17s were involved in the Ball Games in Walvis Bay, while the under-20 side competed at the CUCSA Games in Malawi.

by Pius Ayinor
Lagos

As the African Men's Under-18 Basketball championship continues today in Alexandria, Egypt after yesterday's rest day, Nigerian Junior Tigers will battle their opponents from Congo today as leaders of Group B.

The Nigerians arrived Egypt last Thursday alongside Enyimba Football Club and began their campaign the following day with a game against Cote d'Ivoire while they defeated 66-53. On Saturday they stepped out against Kenya and defeated the East Africans 81-49 before the match against Algeria
The 69-63 victory over Algeria on Sunday pushed them to the top of the table with just two games left in the preliminary rounds.
"So far we going well; everything is okay with the team. The game against Algeria was a tough one but the team came off well. And so we on course and hopefully almost through the prelims in good shape," a Nigerian official told THISDAYSports from Alexandria last night.
The Nigerian team also expects a tough test from the Congolese in their match up today even though the Nigerians are entering the match as crowd favourites. The final and true test at the group level will, however, come their way tomorrow when they face the Angolans in the last group match.
The Nigerian team coached by Lati Erinfolami are in Egypt as defending champions having won the last competition in South Africa. The Junior Tigers also won the 2002 edition of the competition, which held in Cairo, Egypt amongst others. Three African teams are to qualify for the FIBA Junior Men's championship from this competition.

MTN-FUBA league
Lugogo today
Men
Warriors v Power (8pm)
Division Two
Vegetarian v Heaters (5pm)
Women
Cubs v Rhino

By Charles Mutebi

SADOLIN Power’s meeting with MTN-FUBA men’s division one leaders Kyambogo Warriors at Lugogo tonight is, all things considered, an opportunity for them to gauge their championship credentials.

Although Power have not yet qualified for the playoffs like the Warriors, the only team to do so, the two-time champions will qualify if they win two of their last three fixtures starting tonight. Power are third with 26 points from 15 matches, two behind Warriors.
With the Warriors having strolled through the regular season, in which they have lost only twice and not to any of their immediate title rivals, Power will give a hint of their strength if they claim victory.

But star forward Steven Okias revealed that the Warriors are ready to battle as they want to go into the playoffs strong.
“We have qualified (for the playoffs) but we don’t want to give teams the impression that they can beat us so we are taking this match seriously,” Okias explained.
The 2007 playoff finalists are in intense preparations for the Zone V clubs championships which start later this month in Ethiopia and Okias explained that they want to use this match to gauge their readiness for that task.
“We want to see if we are good enough to be in Ethiopia,” he said.
Power captain Isaac Afidra revealed before their last match that his team has prioritised qualifying for the playoffs and will ignore making any statements before the post season.
“What is important is what happens in the playoffs, not now,” he said.

Men’s second division outfits the Vegetarians and Makerere Heaters will also clash while Amazon Rhinos will face the Makerere Cubs in the women’s division.

BY JULIUS MBARAGA

As the Africa Zone 5 club championship draw closer

After securing air tickets from the Ministry of Sports and Culture (Minispoc), both APR and Marine are now banking on corporate support to help them take part in the Africa Zone 5 Club Championships due October 28-November 1 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Even with less than a week to the tournament, the clubs whose budgets are in the range of Frw 50m (air tickets inclusive) are positive that the funds will be raised in time.
“The air tickets are already catered for and we have also approached a number of corporate companies like MTN, Nakumatt and Electrogaz to help us foot the remaining part of the budget,” APR’s coach Cliff Owuor said before adding, “But one thing for sure is that we know that we shall travel.”

Rwanda is one of two countries with a luxury of fielding two clubs in the five-day tournament.
Marine booked their ticket to Ethiopia after being crowned 2007 National basketball league champions while APR has an automatic ticket after winning last year’s edition (Zone 5) which was held in Kigali.
The Indomitable Lions roared their way to the crown after silencing Uganda’s Nkumba University in the semi-finals and Kenya’s KCB in the final.

Marine, who are through to the play offs final after a 2-0 best of three play offs series win over Cercle Sportif (CSK) at the weekend, started residential training yesterday in Gisenyi.
“The guys are in good shape apart from Alma Akwira (forward) who is down with a fever, “the Marine coach Janvier Kamanzi said.
Akwira played a key role for Marine at the weekend.

by Sande Bashaija
Lugogo

Today’s fixtures at Lugogo
Vegetarians v Heaters 5pm
Mak Cubs v Amazon 6:30pm
Warriors v Power 8pm

The Africa Zone 5 Clubs Championship due October 28 in Ethiopia is fast approaching but Ugandan representatives Mogas Falcons are still short of funds. To take a 19-man contingent, the six-time league champions need over Shs51m but have only raised Shs15m. Their last hope is a fundraising dinner this Friday at Arirang Restaurant, an event that will see Uganda’s number one Jazz maestro Isaiah Katumwa stage a performance.
Though there is positive hope to make the trip, Falcons Athletics club board of directors chairperson Dr. Elizabeth Nabatanzi, couldn’t hide her fury over the neglect of sports in Uganda. “The youth have lost interest in sports because of negligence.

We only recognize and appreciate talent when it is too late. It’s high time Ugandans came together to rejuvenate sports,” Dr. Nabatanzi told a press gathering, in a tough tone, at Speke Hotel yesterday morning.
“I appeal to all Ugandans to get involved in this noble cause as we try to support our ambassadors,” she added. Tickets for the dinner are on sale at Bakers World, Game shopping mall in Lugogo

HARARE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

STANDING after 8th rounds

Team Playd Won Lost For
feit
1 JBC 8 8 0 0
2 Raiderz 8 8 0 0
3 Sigauke 6 6 0 0
4 Kingdom Cavaliers 7 5 2 0
5 Faith Wear Jammers 8 4 4 0
6 Varsity Leopards 6 5 1 0
7 Stormers 6 4 2 0
8 Golden Spurs 8 2 6 0
9 Nuggets 7 2 5 0
10 Gentlemen's Association 7 2 5 0
11 Pistons 7 2 5 0
12 Hawks 7 2 5 0
13 Pross 6 3 2 1
14 South Central 8 0 8 0
15 UZ Stars 7 0 7 0

BY JULIUS MBARAGA

Marine (Still in contention)

After playing some stupendous basketball on their way to lifting the 2007 title, their first in three attempts, Marine and of course APR are still hot favorites for the title.
Marine lost back to back ties against APR but still made the play offs as the second best team in the regular season.

At the weekend, the Gisenyi-based club progressed to the play offs final on the back of two very close games against Cercle Sportif (CSK). Much as they struggled against CSK, APR will be on their toes when the two sides wrestle for the championship.

APR (Exuding form)

APR have had a colossal season. It has matched their expectations but no one, not even club coach Cliff Owuor thought the Indomitable Lions would do it in such classy fashion.
APR shot higher at the end of the regular season when they became the first club in the history of Rwandan basketball to finish off the regular season with a 100% record.
Even the defending champions Marine looked inferior against the 2006 champions. Now, APR and Marines, are about to revive their rivalry when they tussle it out for the championship in the best of five play offs final.
Enroute the final, Marine edged CSK 65-64 in Game one and capped it up with a 68-67 victory in Game 2 to take an assailable 2-0 win in the best of three play-off series.
On the other hand, APR majestically matched into the final after earning default points from Rusizi when the Western Province club failed to show up and the club now risks a ban from the local basketball governing body (Ferwaba).
Last year, APR who were chasing for honors on both domestic and continental fronts (Fiba-Africa Club championships) failed to balance the two and paid the price when they were edged to the final play-off slot by debutants Rusizi.
It was the first time the Indomitable Lions had missed out since the local basketball governing body (Ferwaba) introduced the play offs system two years ago.

Espoir (Torn to pieces)

Espoir’s three-year title draught took a deeper blow when the former heavyweights failed to make the play offs with yet another dreadful season.
Despite losing to APR, Marine, CSK and even looking fragile against Rusizi, they were still in touching distance of a play offs slot until they messed it up.
The out of sorts club blew up a possible chance of qualifying for the play offs when they gave away default points to Rusizi in their second last game of the regular season.
That alone exposed Espoir as a club that did not have hope and the necessary credentials to challenge the big guns (APR and Marine).
Even Espoir fans didn’t expect miracles from the club but at least demanded a more aggressive approach to the league.
With the likes of CSK, Marine and APR seemingly eager to stump their authority on the local scene, Espoir have a serious task at hand in trying to rebuild their already shattered ambitions.
So, whether Espoir can have a more opportune moment for a fundamental change next season remains to be seen.

Rusizi (Gaffe of the season)

As APR hit headlines for being the first club to finish the entire regular season unbeaten, Rusizi also yarned to get into the spotlight but unfortunately for them, it was for the wrong reasons.
Rusizi gifted the 2006 champions a free pass to the play offs final after failing to show up for their best of three play offs series at the weekend.
According to an official from the basketball federation, the Western Province club is likely to be penalized for their no-show antics.
“The play offs is something that everyone looks forward to. At the start of the regular season, everyone is interested in which clubs will finally get to the play offs. It’s the icing on the cake for the regular league, so Rusizi should be dealt with severely,” the official said.
The Ferwaba president Fidele Rutagarama also said that a decision would be reached during the course of this week.

Other clubs

Just like the previous season, Basketball United Generation (UGB), the National University of Rwanda (UNR) and Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) have not had genuine attempts to the title.
In particular, UGB have looked out of sorts since the death of their coach Jean de Dieu Nizeyimana last year.

Play offs

At the start of the 2008 regular season, Times Sport made some predictions about which teams would make the play offs and how they would fare in the grand finale.
Overall, we didn’t fare too poorly, but things didn’t turn out completely as predicted. So, here is a follow up on how we are faring with these predictions.

Teams through to the Play offs

With APR’s quality and experience, Marine’s depth and confidence after last year’s heroics and Cercle Sportif (CSK)’s hunger for success after a convincing campaign in their debut season (2007), it was obvious that the trio had their play off spots intact.
The big question though was who of the two sides; Espoir and Rusizi, would hold onto their play offs place. Times Sport had put their money on Espoir owing to their experience and rich history.
However, Rusizi edged them. Just like in their debut season (2007), the Western Province club pulled off another surprise performance in the regular season.
Despite back to back defeats against Marine and APR, Rusizi showed more resilience than Espoir. The best of five play offs finals between APR and Marines are scheduled for early November.

A NEW sponsor has come to the rescue after it looked as though the Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) Cup tournament would not go ahead.

The National Basketball Technical Committee (NBTC) of the SBF had decided to suspend the tournament last week as it did not have enough money to pay match officials.

In fact, officials of matches in the final part of the league championship have not been paid a total sum of R25,000, Sports Nation has learned.
As its budget has run out, the federation is in no position to make any payments, and the SBF Cup was in danger of being cut from the calendar as a potential sponsor backed out at the last minute.
Last Saturday, team managers met at Victoria Gymnasium to discuss the matter and Premium Cobras’ president Roy Collie decided to sponsor the tournament himself.
All teams agreed and some have even said they will help with selling tickets.
Geneviève Lionnet of PLS Hawks’ management is also heavily involved in running the competition.
Mr Collie told Sports Nation: “I’m doing this for the love of basketball. It’s going to cost at least R40,000 to organise the tournament. It’s a lot, but there is a need to save the tournament and the sport.
“I invite all potential sponsors to come forward and help us in every way they can.”
The total cost includes payment of officials and transport, and Mr Collie is yet to decide whether the winning teams will receive cups or prize money.
The tournament’s name will also be changed as it can no longer be called the SBF Cup. Mr Collie is expected to come up with a new name later this week.
He took the opportunity to ponder on whether the SBF will be able to host the Indian Ocean Club Championship (IOCC) next year.
“We don’t want to miss out on this basketball festival. Local basketballers need exposure and Seychellois basketball fans want to see their teams in action,” he said.
“The local basketball body should start looking for sponsors now and if it does not succeed, I’m ready to organise it.”

G. G.

by Sande Bashaija
Kampala

Weekend results - Men
Falcons 70-35 Crane High
Livingstone 101-85 St. Michael
Ndejje 75-65 MBC Rocks
Riders 76- 71 Bistons
Bugema 52-66 Berkley
Women
Cubs 28-42 Mak Sparks
KIU Rangers 60-50 Lakers

Defending champions Mogas Falcons moved within touching distance of a play-offs slot following their 70-35 thrashing of Crane High School in a top flight MTN-Fuba League game at Namboole, Sunday evening.
The six-time champions are now fourth on the ten-team table with 24 points, four behind joint leaders Warriors and UCU Canons. Power, who face Warriors tomorrow are third with 26 points.
Falcons, currently preparing for the Zone 5 Championships in Ethiopia have four games left in the regular season and one victory is enough to see them through.

Charles Mutebi
Kampala

THE basketball federation (FUBA) has laboured to lift the standards of the local game.

But how it nourishes its skinny reputation among its most important constituency - the league players -remains a serious challenge.
From regular queries about the standard of refereeing to the handling of the occupation disputes that come with running a league, many players see FUBA's operations as the small end of a raw deal.

Now whether their assessment is right is not the issue. The issue is those players think FUBA is wrong in many of the ways they manage the league.
Chairman technical committee William Musaali acknowledges the existence of displeasure among some players but insists the majority of accusations are not based on the facts.
"All is not well," he admitted. "It's true some people are not happy with certain things but the truth is most of the times it's not the federation's fault. For instance, teams complain about the refereeing only when they've lost."

Musaali explained that at such times, what running a good league means to the player's on the losing team was completely forged by their grievance.
There are genuine questions about the normal standards of officiating but Musaali says that is being gradually rectified.
"We know that we must improve the quality of referees and that's why we have graded them and organised refresher courses for them," Musaali explained, although only a romantic can expect the abolishment of the hazards that dog the institution of refereeing world wide. But FUBA can do with abolishing the underlying perception that some teams are more equal than others.

This season, Sadolin Power and A1 Challenge have complained about two decisions made in favour of UCU's men's and ladies teams respectively.

Power were unhappy about an appeal victory for the Canons. It recanted the final match of a four-match ban for Geoffrey Omondi but the same was not done for two of their players who were under similar punishment.

While A1 saw their 51-50 victory over the Lady Canons overturned in the loser's favour because they had lodged a pre-match protest about the late arrival of their players.

Those two decisions prompted suggestions that the Canons have greater sway in FUBA's boardrooms than most. Thanks in great part to the assumed lobbying power of Canons coach Jason Mehl's.
But Musaali, as well as executive assistant federation secretary and committee member Joseph Manano were united in their response. Both said that Mehl understood how to exploit all possible avenues available within the games' constitution to personal advantage.
"The UCU manager knows the rules and knows how to approach (FUBA) when things haven't gone his teams' way," Manano explained.
Musaali added in emphasis that the Lady Canons were well within their rights to protest A1's late arrival. The fact their action was not in the spirit of an amateur league like Uganda's, where the prime reward is the pleasure of competing, was academic.
Musaali cited the decision to relegate the Charging Rhinos last season as an indication that FUBA has no favourite clubs and are merely trying to impose the rules. The decision could have gone either way due to the confusion which surrounded the rules, "You see, many people said the Rhinos wouldn't be relegated because they had the most number of officials (four) of any club on the federation's committees but look what happened."
Clearly, FUBA see the tension resulting from the clubs and their players limited grasp of the rules and regulations but also acknowledge that such is to be expected in an amateur league.

Some players see things differently but for now the co-existence is not really threatened. After all, as both parties might attest, everyone's involvement in the sport is ideally shaped on its global motto which states, "I love this game".

MTN-FUBA league

Sunday Results

Men
Falcons 70 Crane high 35

Women
Sparks 42 Cubs 28
Rangers 60 Lakers 50
Nabisunsa 62 Rhino 51
Crane High w/o Bucks

by Sande Bashaija

National Basketball League champions Mogas Falcons are worried of a two-year ban that could be imposed on them if they fail to participate in the Africa Zone 5 Club Championships due October 28-November 1 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
By winning last year's local league, Falcons earned the rights to represent Uganda at the zonal championship, but are uncertain of making the trip due to financial hiccups. "It's unfortunate that we might be banned for two years and handed a big fine If we don't participate," Falcons patron John Ssimbwa told Daily Monitor over the weekend.

In order to take a 19-man contingent, Falcons need over Shs51m but have not raised even half the amount. "We have organised a fund raising dinner at Arirang Restaurant on Friday (October 24) and hopefully all sports-loving Ugandans will come on board to support us," Ssimbwa added. Cards for the dinner are up for sale ranging from Shs50,000 to Shs0.5m.
In a desperate move, Ssimbwa has also written to President Museveni seeking his financial assistance. KCC Leopards, A-1 Challenge and Warriors are the other teams expected to represent Uganda.

MTN-Fuba League results

Men
Stone 82-76 Sharing
Marines 76-81 Canons
Warriors 82-65 Miracle

Women
Leopards 49-65 UCU
Nabisunsa 62-51 Amazon

by Oluwatoyin Adejumo

It was thrills and frill at the fifth edition of the Nestle Milo/Nike sponsored Camp 50 basketball Clinic which dunked off last Sunday inside the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.

The clinic which featured 50 young talented basketball players from the nooks and crannies of the country dunked to an end last Tuesday with the kids and organisers lauding the clinic which brought to the fore future greats in the game.The three day clinic was put together by some Nigerians living in the United States and was co-ordinated by Masai Ujiri, the Assistant General Manager and Player personal of Toronto Raptors in Canada.
The former basketball national team player and brain behind the clinic said the clinic was designed to help create awareness about the game and to teach the youth about how to abstain from sex and stay focussed on the game. He also added that the event features an educational program called Stay- In- School, fight against HIV/ AIDS .
The aims of this clinic he said is to teach them the basics of the game in an educational way. The event brought kids from different parts of the country together and skills were impacted by the coaches. According to him, the plan is to give Nigerian youths their dreams to play. Ujiri who also was discovered from the street, brought along with him five top NBA coaches alongside some Nigerian coaches
Scott Nnaji who worked with him said it was a nice ideal giving the kids opportunities to show their worth. One of the American coaches simply called Godwin said they will keep up with the programme just to encourage them to study hard.
According to him, two years from now, the female version will debut in Nigeria to give both sides equal opportunities.

by Julius Mbaraga
Kigali

Marine will play APR in this year's play-offs final after hard-fought wins over CSK in the best of three play-off series held at the NPC Gymnasium.

Coming off a narrow 65-64 on Saturday, the defending champions still had to dig deep before capping up another dramatic 68-67 win yesterday to send the Kigali-based club packing.
At the start, CSK seemed the stronger side after taking a 22-10 lead but Marine made a swift recovery in the second quarter narrowing that gap to one point (32-33) at the interval.

In the third quarter, Marine dominated proceedings to take a two-point lead (50-48). However, in the fourth quarter, CSK threatened to kill off the game with four quick points but Albert Rukundo lifted Marine back into the lead with a spectacular lay up in the dying seconds of the game.

"We are happy to be in the final. We struggled earlier on but got ourselves back in the game. We now have to concentrate on the final," Marine's coach Janvier Kamanzi said.

In the other play-off tie, APR's progress into the final was over shadowed by Rusizi's absence.
It was the first time in the history of Rwandan basketball that a club failed to take part in the play-offs and it left Cliff Owuor and many basketball fans furious.
"We needed to play these games before getting into the final," Owuor fumed.

In the ladies' section, APR are on course of defending their title after a strong start in the best of five play-offs' final.
APR registered a 51-33 win over the National University of Rwanda (UNR) on Saturday before rounding it off with yet another convincing 65-51 win yesterday.

The defending champions now need one more win to retain the title.

Play-offs Results

Day one
Marine 65-64 CSK
APR 20-00 Rusizi (walk-over)
UNR 33-51 APR (ladies)

Day two
Marine 68-67 CSK
APR 20-00 Rusizi (walk-over)
UNR 51-65 APR (ladies)

by Charles Mutebi
Kampala

WHEN the Nabisunsa girls take to the basketball court this afternoon, the Amazon Rhino should excuse them if they appear disinterested in the spoils of their MTN-FUBA encounter.
After all, six of the players on the secondary school's team have just returned from Tunisia where they represented Uganda at the girl's under 18 Africa basketball championship - a historic feat as no other Ugandan basketball team have been to such an elite level.
The task of making an immediate mental readjustment from continental competition to local league may prove as unbeatable for the girls as the four countries they faced in Tunis.
But Nabisunsa must see off the backlog of matches that piled up as they were excused from league demands to concentrate on preparing for national duty. With 12 games, Nabisunsa have played the least number of matches in the women's league and their 17 points have left them second from bottom.
Three of those matches came in the second round and Nabisunsa only managed to win the one against Crane high. Rhino have played four more matches than Nabisunsa and sit in mid-table with 20 points.

Today

Women, 3.30pm
Rhino v Nabisunsa

12.30pm
Bucks v Cranes High

By Onesmo Kapinga

Kigoma and Rukwa regions` basketball teams have withdrawn from the national basketball championship set to kick off at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam next week.

According to Tanzania Basketball Federation Chairman, Richard Kasesela, the two regions failed to meet the participation confirmation deadline and said they won�t take part.
Kasesela also said that at last, Mtwara had confirmed participation though they had earlier complained of lack of sports equipment, as well as some players having said that they had opted to participate in the forthcoming Bandari Cup.
``I discussed the issue with Mtwara officials and we will decide how to proceed then the players arrive, `` he said.
Kasesela said that they are still awaiting word from Manyara, Singida, Mara and Lindi on whether or not they will participate in the tournament.
He said confirmations had been received from the two constituents of Zanzibar - Unguja and Pemba, adding that Mainland regions that had also submitted confirmations in both men`s and women`s leagues were reigning champs Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mwanza, Coast, Ruvuma, Shinyanga and Tanga.
Kasesela said that the tournament was scheduled to start today but the main sponsors had asked for a postponement to next week while sorting out some logistical issues.

BY JULIUS MBARAGA

APR test Rusizi, CSK eyes revenge

Play-offs
(NPC Gymnasium)
Marine v CSK
APR v Rusizi
Ladies
UNR v APR

CSK’s 3-0 whitewash defeat in last year’s play-off\ final against Marines is still fresh and revenge will be top on the agenda when the two sides clash today in one of three play-off ties to be played at the NPC Gymnasium.
The defending champions did not have the best campaign in the regular season after being involved in a series of transfer fracas and had since played catch up to 2006 champions APR.
However, ahead of the play-offs, Marines’ coach Janvier Kamanzi sounded a warning to his opponents, insisting that his team is back to its best form and ready to defend their title.
“We started off on the wrong note with some controversies over some player transfers and from then on, we played catch up to APR. On top of that, the team was also short on numbers.
“What’s important and satisfying though is that we still made the play-offs and have since looked in good touch. Training sessions have been very satisfying and we are looking forward to the challenge,” he noted.
Marine will be led by their captain Fiston Muhire, the same lad who inspired them to their maiden title last year. On the other hand, Crispin Gishoma will lead CSK’s vengeance.
Meanwhile, APR are also looking to carry on with their 100% record when they battle against Rusizi in the other play-off game.
The Indomitable Lions have a genuine edge over Rusizi after becoming only the first club to finish the regular season unbeaten but Cliff Owuor has cautioned his players not to rest on their regular season laurels.
“The regular season is a closed chapter. We have a new task at hand,” he said.
The play-offs were moved to the Gymnasium because of the renovation work being done on Amahoro Indoor stadium.

The national U18 boys team failed to travel to Cairo, Egypt for the 16th Africa Nations Championships as scheduled on Thursday afternoon.
Henry Shihemi, the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) vice chairman and team manager got to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport slightly late and thus the team of 10 players and four officials could not get cleared for the trip.
Yesterday, KBF officials were making frantic efforts to have the team booked on another Kenya Airways flight that was due for the North African nation latter in the day for the tournament that was slated to throw off the same day.
"I was delayed at the Egypt embassy since there were about 50 passports to be cleared so I took alot of time there. When I was cleared, it was late and I was also caught up in a big traffic jam enroute to the airport." explained Shihemi.
Shihemi said that he would make all efforts to see that the four players whose papers were not ready would secured their travel documents today (friday) and that the team would make it to the Cairo event without any more hitch.
"I have already sent someone to the Egyptian embassy and I am also heading to the Kenya Airways booking offices where I am going to camp until an alternative flight arrangement for the team is got. I am hopeful we will make it." he said.
Despite all this the team coach David Maina said the boys would do well in the championships

KBF secretary Vitalis Gode confirmed that he had asked FIBA Africa official Jullien Bassam to re-arrange the draws to allow a late Kenya entry.
" I talked to Jullien about making changes in the draw to give the team more time to arrive and he said he would do that. That is good news for us." he said . Kenya risk a big fine if the team do not travel.
Kenya were pooled in Group B and will play in their matches in Moubarak Arena where they were top open the show against Angola.

Group A: Egypt (EGY), Mali (MLI), Senegal (SEN), Central Africa (CEN), Mozambique (MOZ) and Maroc (MAR).

Group B: Nigeria (NGR), Angola (ANG), Congo (CGO), Algeria (ALG), Kenya (KEN) and Côte d’Ivoire (CIV).

By Dann O. Werre

By Charles Mutebi

THE playoffs-seeking UCU Canons go into the penultimate game of their 2008 MTN-FUBA regular season against the Nkumba Marines with no room for a slip up.
Canons must win this and their final match against Kyambogo Warriors and hope that at least one of their playoff rivals falters before the season ends. That rival is certainly KIU, who has as many league losses (six) as they have.
Another KIU loss would guarantee the Canons playoff qualification if they won their two remaining fixtures. The other three berths will certainly go to the Mogas Falcons, Sadolin Power and Warriors.

The latter take on the Miracle Eagles in tonight’s opening fixture at Lugogo Indoor Stadium.
Miracle is one of only two sides to defeat the Warriors, a feat they accomplished on the league’s opening day. But the Warriors have since risen to the top of men’s division while Eagles have predictably found their way down the mid-table.

The Warriors have had another domineering season and should repay Eagles in the same currency they received in the first round.

AFTER claiming the top two positions in this year’s Men’s Division Two league championship, winners Mont Fleuri Dawgz and runners-up Anse Etoile are marching on in the Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) Cup.

Having booked their ticket to play in the top flight next year, the Dawgz did not break sweat against AAP Brothers, who did not turn up.
Anse Aux Pins-based AAP Brothers have not played a single match since their second-round league match against the Dawgz ended in confusion on Sunday September 7.
AAP Brothers walked off the Victoria Gymnasium court with 20 seconds left on the clock in the final quarter.
André brothers Steve and Steven of AAP Brothers and Mont Fleuri Dawgz’ Didier Valmont were disqualified by the match officials for fighting on the court and it was at this point that the whole AAP Brothers team decided to walk out.
Leading 60-40, Mont Fleuri Dawgz were awarded victory and two points, as is stipulated by the Fédération internationale de basket-ball amateur (Fiba) bye-laws.
Valmont was hit with a three-match suspension for fighting, while the André brothers were handed a one-match ban each.
The Brothers have been fined R500 for leaving the court, and because they failed to turn up for two league matches they will have to re-register in 2009 if they decide to compete. This means they will have to pay the R500 registration fee and the R500 fine as per the Seychelles Basketball Federation bye-laws.
The Dawgz will now meet Pointe Larue Falcons tomorrow at 5pm at Victoria Gymnasium.
On Wednesday at Victoria Gymnasium, Anse Etoile had four players – captain Christian Toulon (25 points), Luciano Moumou (24), Nigel Collie (14) and Jason Jean (14) – scoring in double figures in a 95-85 win over Drifters.
Although they looked stronger on paper, Anse Etoile had to work hard for their win as Arnaud Arissol was a thorn in their defence with a game-high 41 points for his young Anse Boileau-based team.

Anse Etoile’s next opponents are first division side Cascade Bullets.

G. G.

by Sande Bashaija
Lugogo

Tonight at Lugogo
Miracle v Warriors (5pm)
L. Canons v Leopards 6:30pm
Marines v UCU Canons 8pm

Thursday results
Leopards 78-49 Lakers
Riders 92-74 Bugema
Lions 49-94 Power
Bushcourt 41-59 Heaters

The first round shock defeat to Miracle Eagles is still fresh in Kyambogo Warriors’ players and revenge will be top on the agenda when the two sides clash at Lugogo tonight.

Miracle were the only side to beat runaway table leaders in their season-opening game but have since failed to maintain that form. Despite being top of the MTN-Fuba League men’s topflight table, Warriors’ recent form is not convincing.

Losing finalists last year, Warriors lost to KIU three weeks ago and struggled to defeat bottom-placed Crane High School.
There can never be a better time for Miracle to tackle the Kyambogo side in one of the mouth-watering clashes tonight. Nkumba Marines entertain Uganda Christian University (UCU) Canons.

by Sande Bashaija
Kampala

National Basketball League defending champions Mogas Falcons have written to President Yoweri Museveni asking him for financial support ahead of their trip to Ethiopia.
"Falcons are Uganda's ambassadors, but we have no money to go and represent the country in Ethiopia," reads the letter in part, signed by the club patron John Ssimbwa.
Falcons need Shs51m to take a 19-man contingent for the Africa Zone 5 Club Championships getting underway on October 28 in Addis Ababa. "We have tried elsewhere and failed, His Excellency is now our last hope," Ssimbwa told Daily Monitor.