Basketball in Africa

Written by Anthony A. Stephens


Ghana have become the first country to confirm their participation in the up coming FIBA Africa senior men club championship to be held in Liberia.

According to the acting president of the Liberia Basketball Federation, the West African country will be represented by two clubs, though he felt short of disclosing their names.

Mr. Fred Pratt said the LBF expects confirmations from other participating countries such as Nigeria, Madagascar and Namibia among others in the coming days.

He told Star Sports preparations have begun to ensure the successful staging of the event in the country.

The FIBA Africa men club championship takes center stage from 1-7 November and it will be hosted by LBF male first division champions, Uhuru Kings.

The hosting of the tournament comes barely five months after Liberia held the preliminary rounds of the FIBA U-18 male and female championships.

Today at YMCA
Ndejje v Warriors (7.30pm)
Women
Crane v UCU (5.30pm)

To many, Kyambogo Warriors have done the hard part in making certain of their place in the MTN-Fuba League play-offs. The champions’ 79-70 victory over DMark Power was loathed by Miracle Eagles but relived numerous nerves within Warriors.

Much as attention is now firmly fixed on that decisive clash with Eagles on Sunday, Warriors have business to take care of in Ndejje University Angels this evening at YMCA court, Wandegeya this evening.

It could be an unwelcome distraction that coach Gad Eteu could do without as he need not get any of his stars injured. Steven Okias, coming off a blazing 24-point display last Friday, could be rested after limping off with a chronic knee problem. “Our current situation demands lots of desire which we showed (in beating Power) and we need to maintain for the rest of the season,” Eteu said.

The championship-winning coach will require more responsibility from experienced guard Abdullahi Ramadhan and forward Martin Okwako for different reasons. The Tanzanian easily fouled out on Friday whereas the latter, a Kenyan, has been struggling for points.

Having almost secured their place in next season’s league, Ndejje’s relegation troubles are no longer a worry though their coach Walker Obedi cherishes an unlikely upset. “My plans for the year were disrupted by so many things. Most of our problems were sorted and we had a decent second round,” Obedi, whose ultimate target is a post-season slot in the next three years, explained.

In the women’s division, UCU Lady Canons will continue their charge towards finishing as regular season champions against lethargic Crane High School.

THE men’s division one champions will be known on Saturday when defending champions PLS Hawks meet former winners Premium Cobras at the Palais des Sports.

The two teams are locked on 33 points after 16 wins apiece in 17 games.

While PLS Hawks won by a walkover against the defunct RA Herons, Premium Cobras beat Mont Fleuri Dawgz 67-54 on the back of 20 points from Nigerian Michael Ohiero and 18, including four treys, from Darren Lesperance.
Coach Guy Hall’s Cobras won the first and third quarters, 18-8 and 27-13, while the Dawgz dictated the pace in the second and fourth which they won 20-16 and 13-6.

When Eddy Armand banked one of two free-throws with 36 seconds left on the clock, Angels were flying high as they beat RC Dynamics 104-67.
Charbel Servina and playmaker Keiren Agathine scored 26 points apiece, Barry Dubignon added 25 and Armand made a 17-point contribution in Angels’ sweet victory.
Agathine and Dubignon also hit two treys apiece for the Anse Boileau-based team, whose aim is to avoid the playoffs.
James Joubert got 19 points and captain Emmanuel Jupiter added 10 in Dynamics’ 14th loss in 18 games played.

Baya’s inconsistent form continued with a 69-86 loss to MBU Rockers, who got 28 points from skipper and playmaker Nigel Sinon.
Cyril Agrippine got hot in the second half, netting four shots from downtown to finish with 20 points for the Rockers, who overcame a four-point –16-20 – first-quarter deficit to win the remaining three 17-10, 25-17 and 28-22.
Back in Baya’s line-up, Dave Roseline finished as his team’s top scorer with 24 points and centre Robert Léon added 20 before fouling out.

G. G.

Written by Anthony A. Stephens

The country has been selected to stage the FIBA Africa 2010 men club championship.

According to LBF acting president Fred Pratt, the country was given the right to host the showpiece due to its numerous progresses in the game.

Mr. Pratt disclosed the tournament will be played among sixteen teams with recently crowned first division champions Uhuru Kings serving as hosts.

He noted that teams from Nigeria, Ghana, Madagascar, and Namibia among others will showcase in the event.

The LBF acting boss also told Star Sports several top executives from the African basketball governing body, FIBA, including its Zone III president will jet down for the occasion which runs from 1-7 November.

Mr. Fred Pratt has also revealed match officials for the tournament are being drawn from each of the sixteen participating countries excluding Liberia.

He said two match officials will come from each of the countries.

On the issue of why Liberia will not nominate representatives for the event, Mr. Pratt noted the country does not have FIBA approved badge officials.

The handling of the preliminary rounds of the 2010 men club championship to Uhuru Kings comes few months after the country hosted the FIBA Africa Zone 3 U-18 male and female championships.

By Usher Komugisha

THE UCU Canons rallied from 14-21 down in the first quarter to beat Nkumba Marines 74-65 and maintain hopes of toping the men’s first division in the basketball league.

“The Marines came out strong today and wanted to win but we outscored them in the last quarter (24-14) and played good defense,” said Canon coach Nick Natuhereza.

Robert Ogweno scored a game high 19 points as his teammates Adam Njoroge and Mwesigye added 11 and 10 points respectively. Marines’ point guard Ladislaus Ikungura and Alex Mugoya dropped 17 points apiece but could not help their side win.

Meanwhile six Power players scored in double figures as they recovered from Friday’s loss to Warriors by defeating the Knight Riders 109-63 on Sunday evening.

By Ostine Arinaitwe

Wednesday
Junior hoops vs senior national team
Friday
Junior hoops vs KBC
Sunday
Junior hoops vs NUR

WITH hardly two weeks to the highly anticipated Afrobasket U-18 Kagame Cup, the local basketball body (Ferwaba) has lined up a series of build-up games for the national U-18 team ‘junior hoops’.

The youngsters will play their senior counterparts tomorrow evening at Amahoro indoor court, new league champions KBC on Friday and National University of Rwanda (NUR) on Sunday.

Ferwaba president Eric Kalisa Salongo reckons that the team needs plenty of games to get a good feel of competitive basketball.
“We are giving them lots of friendlies to keep them in shape. After this week’s friendlies, the technical committee will set up more matches for them,” Salongo said of the team which is already in residential training at La Palisse Nyandungu.

The team which has been competing in the league finished 7th after losing their final game on Saturday against KBC 81-42.

The nine-day Afrobasket event, which throws off October 8, will bring together twelve teams, including Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Mali, Angola, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, hosts Rwanda and the defending champions, Egypt.

Teams are expected to start arriving on October 6.

Southern Zone Basketball League (Sozobal) champions Magang’a lifted the University of Malawi (Unima) Reunion tournament after defeating Falcons 72-64 at Chancellor College on Saturday.

In-form off guard Hope Chisamanga notched 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds to spearhead Magang’a to win the trophy.
Falcons could have won the game but they made a lot of turn-overs to hand Magang’a an opportunity to cement their lea
Apart from Chisamanga other notable contributors were forwards Emmanuel Kambalame and Titus Phoya. The duo’s defensive performance was brilliant after grabbing many rebounds to safeguard their teams lead.
Despite losing, Falcons were outstanding particularly through offguard Fletcher Mtawali and forwards Never Chauluka and Rombani Nyirenda.

Chisamanga said they were delighted to have won the trophy.
“We deserve the trophy because we worked tirelessly to emerge champions. We did not expect stiff competition from Falcons,” he said.
Mtawali said they were not worried with the downfall.
“This is part of our rebuilding exercise,” he said.
In football, Unima Alumni defeated current students 4-2
The reunion tournament also included various sporting activities including chess, darts and pool.
One of the event’s organising committee member Cynthia Chawani said they were excited with the turn-up.
“The event provided a forum whereby former students interacted with the current students. We feel their (alumni) presence will make a difference,” said the fourth year law student.

Results – Saturday
St. Michael36-94 Miracle
KIU 66-33 Berkley
Diamonds 56-43 Sharing
Jammers 53-51 TLC
Stormers 52-45 Shooters
Women: KCC 90-19 Crane High

The fourth and final play-off spot in the MTN-Fuba League could be decided this Sunday when Miracle Eagles face Kyambogo Warriors at YMCA court, Wandegeya.

Needing to replicate Warriors’ 79-70 victory over DMark Power on Friday, Miracle stayed in contention with an easy 94-36 thumping of relegation-bound St. Michael a day later. It was another night of total domination from the side that has won all their second round fixtures to earn a rare sniff at a place in the prestigious post-season.

Stephen Omony proved the difference with a game-high 28 points for the Rubaga-based side.

HOTSHOTS gave another inspiring performance on Saturday at Victoria Gymnasium to complete a week of celebration for Anse Boileau-based basketball teams.

After Drifters earned promotion to the men’s top flight with a mid-week 57-39 win over Beau Vallon Heat, finishing as second division winners, HotShots successfully defended the women’s league crown with a 17-point margin – 77-60 – victory over former champions Anse Etoile Stars.




This is their third championship win in a row, bringing to five their number of triumphs after wresting the title from Stars’ grasps in 2008. Their past title wins came in 1998, 2002, 2008 and 2009.

After being outscored 32-16 and 13-12 in the first two quarters to trail by 6 points – 28-34 – at the half, HotShots went on the rampage in the second period, scoring 49 points and restricting the Stars to just 26.

Saturday’s win is a repeat of last year’s decider against the same Stars whom they brushed aside 66-55.

Like against Mont Fleuri the previous weekend when they trailed 28-34 at half-time before going on to win 76-59, HotShots continued to compile big numbers with forward Myra Solin and Beguitta Fontaine scored 18 points apiece.

Fontaine was on fire from beyond 3-point range with four shots, while veteran Jenita Toussaint added another trey to finish with 11 points.



Coming off the bench like against Mont Fleuri, centre Tina Agathine made a 12-point contribution as HotShots’ starters outscored that of Stars 58-51.

Coach Philip Arissol wasn’t happy with all his players individually but said that the championship win is important.

“The players, especially the younger ones, have persevered even though they lost by big margins in the past against Stars and Bel Air,” he said.

“Now is our time,” added coach Arissol, who noted that achieving a second league and cup double in a row would be the icing on the cake.

“This is our aim for the season and it would be nice to do it once again,” added coach Arissol.

This was HotShots’ ninth league win in 10 games to finish atop the six-team standings with 19 points from a possible 20. Only Mont Fleuri dared challenge the champions with a 60-66 overtime first-round win.

Mont Fleuri, who play their last match against RA Sisters tomorrow, are second on 16 points (seven wins and two losses). Anse Etoile Stars are third with 15 points (six wins and three losses) and they play their last league match on Saturday against Cadettes.

Meanwhile, Drifters have won the men’s second division league with 25 points after 11 wins and three defeats in 14 games.
Praslin Warriors have finished as runners-up with 23 points, the same total as third placed Juniors.

G. G.

Results
KBC 81-42 Ferwaba

Kigali Basketball Club (KBC) capped their stellar display this season by lifting this year’s national men’s basketball league title on Saturday.

The debutants cruised to the title after a thunderous performance against Ferwaba Select. The game, which was played at Amahoro Indoor stadium, ended at 81-42.

For most parts of the match, KBC were clearly the better side thanks to Fiston Muhire’s dominant presence in the D.

The forward, who made eight rebounds and top scored with 25 points, was visibly the best player of the day proving why KBC head coach Pierre Gategabondo was willing to do everything in the off-season to lure him to the club.

“We are excited and very happy about this achievement. At the beginning of the season, we never thought we would finish this strong. It is a great feat for the boys, the fans and the club management,” Muhire elatedly said.

KBC, who only lost two games in the entire league, finished with 30 points, one ahead of APR.

Written by Mphatso Malidadi http://www.bnltimes.com
Sunday, 26 September 2010

Southern Zone Basketball League (Sozobal) Crazy Warriors coach Robert Munthali is confident that his newly acquired skills and ideas from Turkey Youth Basketball camp will inspire him to help in the development of the sport.

Munthali together with teenage player Desiderous Chinkhosi participated in a 10-day youth basketball camp in Turkey.
Participants were drawn from 172 countries, who are affiliated to World Basketball governing body Fiba.
The former point guard said the youth camp was an eye opener and it exposed him to different coaching methods.
“It was one the best workshops I have attended in recent year’s. It drew experienced coaches who shared with us the current best techniques of the sport,” he said.
Munthali said they were also given an opportunity to train teams.
“Each coach was also asked to contribute either offensive or defensive moves.
Then we were scrutinizing the moves before selecting the best moves. We used similar system to identify the best passes, rebounds, lay-ups among others,” he said.
Munthali said he observed that most countries had put in place developmental structures.
“It is not surprising that most of the top basketball sides such as America have strong foundation. I also noted that most Basketball Federations were working jointly with the schools to identify and nurture talent,” he said.
Munthali, who is also director of Sports at Joyce Banda Foundation, said he will consult Basketball Association of Malawi (Basmal) to conduct similar workshop.
“I wish to share the knowledge which I have acquired with others. If the sport is to develop in the country we need collaborated efforts,” he said.
Basmal president Oscar Kanjala said they would discuss with Munthali to come up with mechanisms to share knowledge with others.
Munthali and Chinkhosi had the chance to watch three games during last week’s World Basketball Championship which United States of America won.

By The Citizen Reporter
Vijana City Bull youth Alpha Kisusi has promised to use a training tour in US to spearhead the Tanzania’s campaign develop basketball.

Kisusi and four others who were last weekend selected to tour US together with bets players from four African counties, commended efforts championed by National Basketball Association (NBA) in its inspirational clinics.
He said both NBA-backed clinics conducted by a Tanzanian Hasheem Thabeet and American Steve Smith successfully reached their desired goals.
“ It was a well organised clinic that offered us additional skills in both physical and tactical formats,” he said during their yesterday visit at Mwananchi Communication Limited.
Others travelling to US are Sunday Andrew and Evans Davis while Taher Abdu and Kiguma Jibrea were picked as reserve players.
The young Tanzanians will join others from Angola, Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique.
The players, who qualified to attend the training were those excelled in the inaugural clinic conducted by Hasheem Thabeet, the Tanzanian who trade his skills with Memphis Grizzlies.
Kisusi and mates are featuring for Vijana City Bulls, one of the basketball giants in Tanzania.

The clinic targets schoolboys and girls plus coaches.

The American led the players in stretching, full-court warm-up, jump shots and lay out techniques.

Results – Friday
Power 70-79 Warriors
Women
Sparks 49-55 KIU
Today at YMCA
Nkumba v UCU (7.30pm)
Power v Riders (5.30pm)
Rhino v Vegetarian (1.30pm)
UCU JV v Planets (11.30am)
Crane v Ssaku (9.30am)
Women
Bucks v Stormers (3.30pm)

For five months, Kyambogo Warriors have searched for the right gear for a big night until they found one at YMCA court, Wandegeya on Friday. And when they needed it, the old guard came up with the goods as the champions beat DMark Power 79-70 to set up a grand finale for the final play-off spot with Miracle Eagles next Sunday.

A persistent knee injury has limited Steven Okias appearances this season but his match-winning 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists must have relieved some of the pain even though he limped off late in the final period.

When Okias needed support, he got it in Ronnie Kasewu. The MVP recovered from malaria in time to chip with a double-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as they took the four quarters 16-18, 15-14, 23-16 and 25-22 respectively.

The biggest crowd of the season witnessed immense desire that has been missing from Warriors against a side that has already booked their postseason slot. “Our biggest challenge was to respond to the challenge upon us as a unit with all the desire we could possibly have,” Gad Eteu, Warriors coach, told Sunday Monitor.

Eteu had every reason to be pleased as they negated most of Power’s fast breaks despite his guard Jude Ochen (3) committing six costly turnovers. Norman Blick faded late but a haul 29 points, 10 rebounds and four assists was descent consolation as Isaac Afidra (7) and Ben Komaketch (2) struggled to make an impact. Joseph Ikong added 10 points.

Former NBA star Steven Smith offers tips at a clinic before the finals. Dennis Okeyo I Nation

Joseph Ouma from Mombasa, Geoffrey Oteky and Ben Mungai, both from Nairobi, were at the weekend selected by top NBA star Steven Smith to represent Kenya in an NBA (National Basketball Association) camp in USA later in the year.

The three will be part of the All African team that will receive training from NBA coaching staff.

Nairobi dominated the Sprite Slam Tour Finals held at the Nairobi Railways Club on Saturday as Oteky scored 14 points, including two three-pointers, in his team’s first two games.

Kisumu sparked an offensive burst in the opening period against Nairobi with a three-point bomb, as Nairobi recovered and took over the scoreboard.

The Sprite Slam Tour is a Coca-Cola East and Central Africa initiative that targets teens and young adults, who have a passion for basketball, and it also allows them to express their individuality.

The other objective of the tour is to promote active healthy lifestyles among the youth by raising awareness on the importance of physical activity through the sponsorship of this grassroots basketball programme.

Smith plied his trade in the NBA for 14 years with teams such as Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Hornets and the Charlotte Bobcats.
The former player, who now works with the NBA TV as an analyst, said the three players picked to travel to the US will have basketball camps where scouts will be present.

“There will be scrimmage for them where hopefully some colleges will spot them and give them a scholarship which will mean a lot for the kids,” said Smith.

Dynamic partnership

Kenya was the first place he saw girls in the tournament something he said was impressive.

The Coca-Cola Company (through Sprite) and the NBA enjoy a dynamic partnership which was forged in 1986. Sprite is the official soft drink of the NBA.

Maureen Sika, Coca-Cola’s Brand Manager for Kenya, said the Sprite Slam initiative was aimed at giving the young people an opportunity to discover and nurture their talent.

“It’s success is the result of a dynamic partnership between Coca-Cola East and Central Africa, the Kenya Basketball Federation and the NBA. The NBA has provided us with their top stars to further enhance our talent selection process,” she said.

Today at YMCA
St. Michael v Miracle
KIU v Berkley
Sharing v Diamonds
Shooters v Stormers
Women: KCC v Crane

A week ago, Kyambogo Warriors coach Gad Eteu suggested to Daily Monitor that the final play-off spot might come down to points difference accumulated by each of the pursuing teams. He went to match his words by smacking St. Michael 92-47 last Saturday.

His Miracle Eagles’ counterpart Brian Rugyendo might want to ‘steal’ words from Eteu’s line as his team face the same relegation-bound side this evening at YMCA court, Wandegeya in the race for that prestigious slot.

The signs look good for Miracle as they have only lost once since the second round started which reverse came understandably to leaders DMark Power.

KBC vs Ferwaba

Debutants, Kigali Basketball Club are just a win away from being crowned the 2010 national basketball league champions. The run-away champs host the federation’s select side today at Amahoro indoor stadium courts. The game starts at 11 o’clock.

Being the last game of championship and the title decider, today’s clash is expected to be a thriller in all ways as both teams need a win for different reasons.

While KBC will be going out all guns blazing, knowing a win will hand them the title on their first attempt, the federation’s U-18 select side will have other ideas as they seek to end the season on a real high.

Ferwaba‘s U-18 team have won all their last three games in a row. The select is using the championships to prepare for next month’s Afro-basketball U-18 Kagame Cup tournament.

KBC are in second place with 28 points in 15 games and have scored 1152 points along the way against 979 points. But they will be hoping to avoid any slip up against the youngsters, who thumped UGB 71- 53 last weekend.
Defending champions, APR top the table with 29 points in 16 games having scored 1156 points and conceded 811.

Going into today’s do-or -die clash, KBC head coach Pierre Gategabondo told Times Sport yesterday in a phone interview that his team is not prepared to let the championship medal slip through their hands.

“We know our opponents are a young and strong team that has won all their last three games but we have the desire to be crowned champions, therefore it’s a must win (game) for us,” Gategabondo stressed.

Kano Pillars have once again proved their supremacy in Nigeria’s basketball with their success at the NBBF/DSTV Super 8, as they defeated Royal Hooper of Port Harcourt to win the week-long championship yesterday.

Kano Pillars, who had twice won the Super 8, had a narrow victory over the Hoopers with a 78-77 point win at the Civic Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

An elated chief coach of the champions, Sani Ahmed told P.M.Sports after the match that “with what we saw this evening (yesterday), the future of the game in the country is bright. I have to give kudos to the Local Organising Committee for packaging one of the best final-eight tourneys this year.”

He noted that the final was one of the toughest his side played on the local scene in recent times, as the Hoopers gave them a good run for their money.

Ogoh Odaudu, Head Coach of the Hoopers was disappointed losing the match, but he was glad the team secured a ticket to play at the FIBA-Africa Club Championship later in the year.

The winners, apart from the trophy, received N1million; Hoopers got N500,000, while Union Bank, who beat Dodan Warriors 80-74 points to finish third, went home with N300,000.

—Wale Joseph/P.H

With just two seasons in the league, Royal Hoopers Basketball Club have taken a bold step to make history today when they confront defending champions, Kano Pillars in the final of the 2009/2010 DSTV Premier League Final Eight Playoffs.

The home side defeated Union Bank Basketball Club 65-50 points in a semi final tie yesterday at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Civic Centre, Port Harcourt, River State, Nigeria.

Head coach of the Port Harcourt-based side, Ogoh Odaudu told P.M.Sports ahead of this evening’s final that their target is to host and win the league. He vowed that having come thus far, they are ready to fight it to the finish to achieve their goal.

The former Nigerian international stated that the management of the club has motivated the team to lift the trophy.

However, Head Coach of Pillars, Sani Ahmed, has expressed confidence in the ability of his side to retain the title.

“With due respect to our opponents (Hoopers) in today’s game, we are a better team to lift the cup. Even if they have the whole of Port Harcourt fans behind them, we will beat them. For now we are the best in the local scene,” said Ahmed.

Meanwhile, Dodan Warriors Basketball Club of Lagos, who lost to the defending champions, Pillars by 70-99 points in the first semi final yesterday will take on Union Bank in the third place match before the final.

—Wale Joseph, P/H

Royal Hoopers Basketball Club of Port Harcourt will this evening continue their quest for the 2009/2010 DSTV Premier League Crown against a semi-final clash with Union Bank Basketball Club.

The match billed for 4:00p.m. local time will see the hosts battling for a place in the finals against the Stallion Boys at the Civic Centre, Port Harcourt. A victory for either side will secure them a ticket in the continental championship next season.

The defending champions, Kano Pillars will confront Dodan Warriors of Lagos in the other semi-finals. While Pillars are the team to beat, Warriors have vowed to fight for victory despite playing with a depleted side. P.M.Sports gathered that three of Warriors’ stars travelled to the United States in search of greener pastures.

Speaking after his side’s 80-53 points victory over Warriors last night, Team Manager of Royal Hoopers, Ifie Ozaka, stated that their ultimate target is to win the league.

Team Manager of Union Bank, Rotimi Savage said the fans will see the best of his team today, boasting that they will come out determined against the hosts to secure a final berth and a continental ticket.

—Wale Joseph, P/H

Royal Hoopers Basketball Club will this evening take on Dodan Warriors Basketball Club at the ongoing DSTV Premier League Final-8 at the Civic Centre, Port Harcourt.

The match promises lots of excitment as both sides battle for Group A leadership having won their first two games in the Play-Offs.

Coach of Dodan Warriors, Adeka Daudu expressed his side’s readiness to win the match. His Hoopers’ counterpart, Ogoh Odaudu said they are already looking ahead of the match to win the league.

Other matches billed for today are the clash between the two Lagos-based Union Bank Basketball Club and Police Baton Basketball Club.

Union Bank, having lost their first two matches are in a very tight situation, while victory for Police Baton today will secure their passage to the semi-final of the Play-offs.

—Wale Joseph, P/H

Written by Moses Mugalu

In 2004, what started out as a mere shot at team-bonding by then Nkumba Marines players at the S&S Bar and Restaurant ended up conjuring an unplayable basketball outfit in the local league.

Marines players then used to converge at the saloon a stone’s throw from Nkumba University and would discuss tactical strategies over a gin and tonic. This not only strengthened the chemistry and camaraderie of the players, but also won the university outfit back-to-back league titles in 2005 and 2006.

Team spirit
Looking back, the back-to-back league titles winning coach Timothy Odeke is in no doubt as to what the bonding sessions at S&S Bar and Restaurant did.

Odeke, who still wears the hat of Marines coach, opted for a soft drink during the sessions for religious reasons. He adds that the sessions helped build a priceless “team spirit,” the drunken stupors that would ensue notwithstanding.

Player exodus hurts?
To date, the bond that was created amongst players at the S&S bar and restaurant is still traceable. The bond has seen the Blick siblings (Norman and Donald), Carroll Bisereko, Boniface Okello and Barnes Ankunda all end up at DMark Power.

Bisereko won the league at Warriors last season but decided to join Power this season to be with his buddies.

Ankunda is now calling the shots from the touchline. Odeke isn’t surprised that his former pupil is now a coach.

“[He] was a tactically aware player.” So aware that Ankunda outwitted Odeke when the two pitted their wits against each other a fortnight ago. Power beat Marines 88-80 in a league encounter.

The encounter no doubt reminded Odeke of his class of 2005 and 2006. The whole team was disintegrated, and it’s not just Power that came knocking on the university outfit’s door.

Mugalu lone ranger?
Paul Mwaka moved over to Ndejje University while Albert Aciko is at Miracle Eagles. The talismanic point-guard, Ali Salim is starring for Kenya’s Cooperative Bank. Only Carl Mugalu remains at Nkumba but he is irregular because of work.

Mugalu, Bisereko and Mwaka were the smart defensive kingpin, but it was Norman Blick who stole the show. Norman was the reason why Marines’ matches used to rake up close to 300 adoring students from Nkumba. Today, hardly 50 students show up – a telling reminder that Phillip Wakimwero is no Norman Blick.

Stepping in Blick's shoes
Wakimwero is Marines’ leader. The power-forward fades in comparison to Norman who plays in all positions.

This has not stopped Wakimwero – who averages 17points – from donning the No.4 jersey that Norman once sported. To be fair to Wakimwero, he scored 20 points compared to Norman’s 19 when Marines and Power met a fortnight ago.

He also scored a handy 19 points against Warriors. “Such performances are a sign that we aren’t far off and we can return Marines to the glory days,” says Wakimwero.

However, Wakimwero will have to improve his shooting from the three-point and one-point line if he is to inspire Nkumba to success again. Currently, Marines lie seventh on the log – three places away from a play-off spot.

By Charles Mutebi
and Usher Komugisha

FUBA League
Men’s div 1:
Nkumba 81 Berkley 58
Falcons 20 Lions 0 (w/o)
Today at YMCA :Women:
Sparks v Rangers
Men div 1
Warriors v Power

MIRACLE POWER have a ten-month-old grudge against the Kyambogo Warriors. Today at YMCA, they plan to settle it.

“We so want to beat them, to prevent them from making the playoffs,” said Power assistant coach Brian Wathum the moment it became clear his team had the chance to damage Kyambogo’s hopes of returning to the past season.

Warriors defeated Power 4-1 in last year’s best-of-seven playoff finals to win the FUBA men’s championship, leaving their rivals desperate for revenge.

But Power, much like everyone, did not expect the opportunity to come so early. Fast forward and the Warriors are on the back-foot, struggling to hold onto their playoff ticket.

If the Warriors lose, they will have the same number of defeats (six) with Miracle, meaning the two clubs’ meeting on October 3 will likely decide who wins the fourth and final playoff berth.

Power, UCU Canons and Falcons have secured their postseason passage.

MEANWHILE Emmanuel Enabu, James Lule and Derrick Katumba have been chosen by former NBA star-Steve Smith as the best three young basketball players around the country. The earn a trip to the USA to attend a basketball camp as well as watch one NBA game.

The two months search that involved searching for young basketball talent was concluded on Wednesday at YMCA

THE national Under-18 basketball team’s preparations for the upcoming Afro-basket U-18 Kagame Cup will be boosted by four players.

According to the local basketball federation President Eric Kalisa Ssalongo, the four players are based in Canada. The tournament is slated for October 8 -17 in Kigali.

The team which recently returned from a two-week training camp in San Diego and Los Angeles, has been impressive in the league where they won three games in a row against KIE,UGB and Espoir.

Ssalongo told Times Sport that the Quartet includes-Kevin Mirindi, Alex Rufagari, Gilda Mulenda and Jayde Dawson and are expected in the country on September 30.

“The team has been lacking in the area of attackers so that is where these players will boost us,” Ssalongo said.

The U-18 team is currently seventh in the league and they face league leaders KBC in their final game of regular season on Saturday. KBC hold a one-point cushion over defending APR with one game remaining.

The nine-day Afro-basket U-18 tournament will bring together nine teams, including Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Mali, Angola, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, hosts Rwanda and the defending champions, Egypt.

FRANCISTOWN: Following the conclusion of the first round of the men's basketball league, clubs have been given a mid-September deadline to beef-up their squads.

The league committee chairperson, Kabo Khama said the mid-season transfer window will close before the second round begins.

"The first round ended over the weekend and that marks the opening of the transfer window that will run until the league resumes in mid September," he said. So far, no player has moved since the window opened on Monday. However, Wabo Seloka of Police is expected to be among the first to move, switching to Splinters after relocating from Francistown to Gaborone.

"We are expecting to register the first move from Police as Seloka transfers to Splinters. However, we do not expect a busy window, compared to what has been seen in football. Most of the players who move are tertiary students," Khama said.

Meanwhile, Cadets, Splinters and Eagles showed marked improvement in the first round while the once mighty BDF V faltered.

Francistown side, Splinters go into the break with only two losses after claiming impressive victories against giants, Police and Flames. Splinters were suspended last season for failure to honour fixtures but have come back recharged.

Troopers dominated the first round and finished top after winning all their nine matches. Eagles are making a bold statement after a disappointing campaign last season, which saw them finish in the bottom half. They are third with 13 points after four wins in nine games. Cades sit second behind Troopers with 14 points. BDF V find themselves struggling with only one win in nine matches.

In the women's competition, the last matches of the first round takes place this weekend with Police top of the standings with nine points after winning four of their five games.

NIIT are second with seven points. On Saturday, bottom placed Relics face leaders Police with BDF V playing NIIT at the SSKB courts.

Southern Zone Basketball League (Sozobal) champions Magang'a, Falcons, Poly Bobcats and Chanco Hawks will represent the zone during the event while Central Zone Basketball League (Cezobal) leaders Blazers alongside Trojans have also been included in the tournament.

The reunion tournament has been organised by Unima students union entertainment committee in conjunction with Nde'feyo Entertainment.

The Entertainment firm's spokesperson Mphatso Chauluka said they want alumni to give back to the University and the surrounding communities.

“They can willingly offer support through a forum like this one,” he said.

Chauluka said they decided to highlight basketball teams because Unima has produced great basketball players.

“Unima is the best source of basketball players ever produced in the country. For a long time, Poly Bobcats and Chanco Hawks used to dominate basketball in the country. Therefore, we want to rekindle the fire,” he said.

Chauluka said the Unima reunion will also involve other sporting disciplines such as volleyball, pool, bawo, darts and chess.

Meanwhile, Chauluka also disclosed that they had secured sponsorship for the basketball tournament from Ambokile Salimu.

“The sponsorship will cover for prizes, medals and miniatures,” he said.

By Charles Mutebi

FUBA league
Today
Berkley v Nkumba
KCC v Falcons

KCC Lions players are set to walk out on their team and the FUBA men’s first division in protest against the club management, which they accuse of defaulting on their wages and allowances since the start of the season.

“We will not play our last three games,” guard Moses Okwera said yesterday.
“We had a meeting with the (team) management but nothing fruitful came out of it,” he added.

KCC are scheduled to face the Falcons today at YMCA but these developments point to a forfeit. In fact, even the Lions’ management will not try to dissuade the players from throwing today’s game.

“If that is what the players have decided, then there is nothing I can do,” said manager, Joy Olinga.

National champions KCB Lions slipped but rose again on the second day as FIBA Africa Zone Five champions Co-operative Bank of Kenya and Eagle Wings easily won their premier league games at Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium over the weekend.

Co-op torched International Christian Center (ICC) 67-46 in the men's game while reigning women champions Eagle Wings thrashed Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA) University 93-27.

ICC, who the previous day beat league leaders Posta 75-71 were made to look ordinary by the bankers who were up 37-23 at half time. Nelson Njau nailed 15 points while Eugene Genga scored 14. James Omune hit 16 points for ICC, who scored 23 points in the last two halves.

Champions KCB Lions recovered from their shock 65-61 defeat at the hands of Strathmore University to pip United States International University (USIU) 48-45. Lions led 22-20 at the break. Tobias Onyango posted 17 points in this unconvincing win. Arou Chan hit 11 for Tigers.

Strathmore took a 38-30 half time margin against KCB and never let go the advantage. The upset gave them their eighth win of the season. They have now bagged 23 points from 15 matches. David Ogolla scored 16 points while Frank Simiyu posted 15 for Blades.

It was Lions second loss in 13 matches o far played this year. Roy Kahure nailed 17 points while the usually dangerous Tobias Onyango was restricted to an all time low of 12, his worst outing in the league in years.

International Christian Center (ICC) beat Posta 75-71 in a tight show. The win saw them moved to the top with 25 points, same as the mailmen, had 30 points from Griffin Ligare and 14 from Ben Ogolla. Both sided tied 38-38 at the break.

Posta had 19 from William Ochieng and 16 from Ancette Wafula whose last second three point attempt that would have send the game into over time just rolled out of the rim. ICC finished the double over the losers.

USIU did turn on the heat to beat Blazers 77-69. The Tigers took a 31-28 half tie lead and had Chris Mulumba with 18 points. Joel Atebe continued his hot shooting streak sinking game high 29 for the hapless Blazers.

Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA) University beat University of Nairobi "Terrorists" 57-52. Roberts Otieno scored 12 points for the winners who topped 26-20 at half time.

Reigning women champions Eagle Wings thrashed Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA) University 93-27 behind 19 points from Janet Okoth, 15 from Mildred Akinyi and 12 from Caroline Achieng. The students had 10 from Lucy Machuma.

It was double trouble for USIU as their ladies side, Flames were hammered 62-22 by Sprite Storms who had national team star player Emma Nyakwena scoring 23 while Sali Bore managed 11.

Dann OWERRE
FIBA Africa

Egypt eased into the semifinal stage of the Arab Nations Cup. They held off UAE in the first quarterfinal clash yesterday. Egypt will now take on Morocco for the spot in the championship game.
UAE put up a decent fight in the starting frame. They trailed by only one point 16:17 after ten minutes. But Egypt gradually took over. They knocked down 20 points in the second quarter and posted a 37:30 lead at the interval. The third term turned disastrous for UAE. They accounted for only 7 points and allowed Egypt to clear off. UAE faced a 22-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter. Egypt maintained the tempo in the final period. They easily kept their opponents at distance and rolled to the victory at the end. Moumen Abou Elaynayn (199-F-86) knocked down came up with 14 points to pace the winners. Ayoub AlBalooshi (190-F-81) replied with 14 points for UAE.

Last week was a great week in Ugandan basketball, all top teams where in action, Friday night, Steven Omony’s Miracle Eagles took on the Nkumba University Marines, a team known for its resilience but only to humble it in a 90:47 victory. Steven Omony had a triple double, double figure rebounding, double figure assists and 24 points. Ceaser Mukalazi also had his glorious night scoring 33 points with 5 out 8 attempts of his three point field shots. Wakimwero Phillip and Otweyo Wilson were the two most active players for Timothy Odeke’s Marines scoring 16 and 14 points respectively.

On Saturday, Warriors had to take on newbie St Michael and Warriors moving into this game fancied to win and beating down on St Michael 90:48. Warriors the defending champions find themselves in must win situation since the eagles are on their case for that 4th playoff spot. Warriors face bitter rivals Dmark Power this Friday at YMCA , 19hr30. A win against Power will boost their confidence and partly eliminate the no-playoffs scare but ultimately Warriors will have to beat the Eagles themselves to seal this battle.



Later Saturday was a game between Falcon and the Ndejje University Angels, After Mike Bazangu being blamed for the loss to UCU, the player was positive to turn his game around, playing good individual defense and involving team mates in the offense. It’s evident that Falcon are now considering the easier baskets compared to their showtime dunks they exhibited in the game against UCU and losing it at the end. Sam Obol, Peter Elungat and Sudi Ulanga were missing in this fixture which ended 75:61.

The main event on Sunday was between the Charging Rhinos and MUK Heaters in a hugely televised game. The two arch rivals went into this game dubbed “battle for bragging rights” both beaming with optimism. But it was Rhinos that finally came up on top inspired by shining performances from shooting guard, Opio Mark and Forward Omony Walter with 27 and 21 points respectively. Bongomin Joseph also had 12 points while Maale Rashaed had 10 points.

The quarterly scores were as follows, 19:18, 23:27,25:28, and 26:16. The Rhinos showed great character overcoming the 10 point deficit in the last quarter winning the game 93:89.

Heaters received standing performances from Busulwa Rama with 19 points, Odong George with 17 points and Assiku Dickson with 16 points. It is quite likely that these two teams will collide again in playoffs and watching them play is always a feeling of basketball to behold.

Dmark Power played against newbie Berkley and humbled it to a 108:60 defeat. Okello Boniface had game high 26 points, Joseph Ikong continues in double figure scores with 24 points, while Isaac Luggudde had 18 points. Power face Warriors Friday 24th September 2010 in a do or die game for Warriors. This game is more important for Warriors than it is for Power but get it right, Power will not be holding back anything given the fact that they were beaten by Warriors at the final last year.

. Hawks, Cobras neck-and-neck

A win would have put the icing on the cake for Mont Fleuri, but they took their foot off the gas pedal in the fourth quarter against HotShots, losing a golden opportunity to wrap up their first women’s championship title in a long time.

In the men’s division one league, PLS Hawks and Premium Cobras will clash heads on October 2 in the title decider, but they both are on track for success.

HotShots 76 … Mont Fleuri 59

After losing the first quarter 12-17 and with centre Lindy Aglaé in early foul trouble with four individual fouls, Mont Fleuri trailed by six – 28-34 – at half-time on Saturday at the Palais des Sports.

On a Beguitta Fontaine trip to the foul line and netting her two free throws with 2 minutes played in the third quarter, HotShots’ lead had ballooned to 14 points – 42-28 – but when Canadian Paddye Magill stopped the skid with a short jumper, Mont Fleuri used a full-court press and a 25-11 run to tie the score at 53-53 at the end of the third quarter.

When everyone, possibly including HotShots’ coach Philip Arissol, thought Mont Fleuri would stick to a full-court press at the start of the fourth and decisive quarter, they shifted to a zone defence and HotShots made them pay cash for their tactical naivety.

Coming off the bench to lead all scores, tall centre Tina Agathine netted 10 of her 30 points in the final quarter – either catching high passes inside the paint or bringing down offensive rebounds to score unmarked.

HotShots outscored Mont Fleuri 23-6 in the final 10-minute spell for a deserved 76-59 victory, putting them in the right frame of mind for their next match against Anse Etoile Stars, which could well be the title decider.

Forward Myra Solin scored 16 points and Jenita Toussaint added 12 from four treys in defending champions HotShots’ win, helping them avenge the bruising 60-66 overtime first-round loss to the Mont Fleurians, who got balanced scoring from Williana Dubois (14 points including two treys), Aglaé (13), Burtina Désir (12 including two treys) and Magill (12 including a trey).

HotShots now head the six-team standings with 17 points from eight wins and a loss, while Mont Fleuri are second on 16 points (seven wins and two losses). Third are Anse Etoile Stars with 14 points (six wins and two losses).

A win for HotShots in their last match against the Stars will see them retain the league title, and if victory goes the Stars’ way – and by at least a five-point margin – they will be in with a chance to return as champions.

HotShots and Stars must learn from last weekend’s match and be aware that there is a lesson there about bringing not just skills, but focus, consistency and perseverance, if they plan to win.

PLS Hawks 82 … Mont Fleuri Dawgz 58

The men’s division one championship will surely go down to the wire, and the battle is between defending champions PLS Hawks and former winners Premium Cobras.

After the Cobras’ venom proved to be more effective than Cascade’s bullets to get a 90-77 midweek win, PLS Hawks played a high-tempo match against Mont Fleuri Dawgz for an 82-58 win on Sunday night.

Daniel Victor came off the bench to get a game-high 16 points, including two shots from downtown, while Nigerian Alao Solomon and centre Rodney Lozé added 13 and 10 for Hawks.

Reggie Ah-kong banked three treys for nine of his team-high 15 points and Steven André added 12 for fourth-placed Dawgz, who boast 27 points after 10 wins and seven defeats in 17 games.
With two matches each left to play, Cobras and Hawks are locked on 31 points – 15 wins and one defeat apiece.

Razors 42 … MBU Rockers 92

Fifth-placed MBU Rockers employed a full-court press against Razors and got 29 points, including three 3-pointers from swingman Cyril Agrippine, 18 from captain Nigel Sinon and 12 from Brian Morel in a 50-point margin – 92-42 – victory.
Rockers are on 26 points after 10 wins and six defeats, while Razors, whose centre Alex Baron hit two treys and finished with 17 points, are in seventh position with 21 points following four wins and 12 defeats.

RC Dynamics 57 … Cascade Bullets 73

Cascade Bullets have improved a lot under former PLS Hawks coach Tony Juliette and they dominated all four quarters – 15-14, 17-13, 22-16 and 19-14 – for a 73-57 win against RC Dynamics.

Centre Biko Biong finished with 18 points and he was helped in offence by Ronny Julienne (12 points) and Dan Côme (12) as the Bullets celebrated their seventh win in 16 games for 23 points.

Mike Jean had the hot hands for RC Dynamics with 11 points, but his team suffered their 13th defeat in 17 outings and are seventh with 21 points.

Angels, who collected only their first win in seven second-round matches, beating RA Herons 122-47, are in ninth place with 20 points (four wins and 12 defeats in 16 games).

Meanwhile, Sports Nation has learned that the RA Herons team have disbanded.

One of the main reasons, according to manager Jean-Guy Alphonse, is that the players miss training because there is only one ring at the La Promenade court.

Winless in 15 games, RA Herons beat Beau Vallon Heat in last year’s playoffs to earn the right to play with the big guns this season.

G. G.

By Umutesi Doreen

Results

UGB 53-71 Ferwaba
Rusizi 50- 58 Espoir

SATURDAY’S 71-53 win over UGB proves that Ferwaba Select is on the right track ahead of next month’s Afrobasket U-18 Kagame Cup.

The youngsters trailed UGB at half time (29-31) but a spectacular second half display masterminded by Shooting guard Patrice Twagirayezu secured the team their third successive league win.

Twagirayezu, who was practically unstoppable in the third and fourth quarter, scored a game high 25points.
Ferwaba head coach Paris Nelson is thrilled with the progress but is not getting carried away.
“The boys responded well in the third and fourth quarter which shows mental strength in the team,” the American tactician said.

In the other fixture, Espoir upset hosts Rusizi 58-50.

Kampala

Saturday results
St. Michael 47-92 Warriors
Falcons 75-61 Ndejje
B. Court 49-58 Planets
Ssaku 65 -51Jammers
Livingtone 55-51 Sharing
Women
Nabisunsa 44-79 UCU

Kyambogo Warriors and Falcons’ charge towards the MTN-Fuba League semi-final play-offs continued in contrasting fashion on Saturday at YMCA court, Wandegeya. Falcons overcame an uncharacteristic slow start to defeat Ndejje University Angels 75-61 while Warriors cruised to a 92-47 victory over relegation-bound St. Michael.

In the late game, Ndejje took a low-scoring first quarter 14-13 before the six-time champions coasted through the final three periods 16-12, 18-17 and 28-18 respectively. It was a good shooting night for Falcons as Mike Buzangu (19), Bienvenue Ngandu (13), Albert Lunkunja (12), Cedric Simapiizi (11) and Karim Nkusi (10) reached double figures. Ngandu and Lunkunja picked 10 and six rebounds correspondingly to add to their impressive haul.

Earlier, Eric Malinga showed glimpses of his better days with 22 points, three rebounds and five assists in Warriors’ blow-out. The charged champions also had telling contributions from Abdullahi Ramadhan (19), Brian Gumisiriza (13), Jude Ochen (10) and Steven Okias (10) but it was the former who ran the show with eight assists.

Les play-offs de la Dstv league débute ce dimanche à Port Harcout. Voici le programme de la compétition.

1ere journée: 19/09/2010
12H00 : Dodan Warriors Vs Niger Potters
14H00 : Kano Pillars Vs Union Bank
16H00 : Bauchi Nets Vs Police Baton
18H00 : Royal Hoopers Vs Kada Stars

2eme journée : 20/09/10
12H00 : Union Bank Vs Bauchi Nets
14H00 : Kada Stars Vs Dodan Warriors
16H00 : Police Baton Vs Kano Pillars
18H00 : Niger Potters Vs Royal Hoopers

3eme journée : 21/09/2010
12H00 : Kada Stars Vs Niger Potters
14H00 : Kano Pillars Vs Bauchi Nets
16H00 : Union Bank Vs Police Baton
18H00 : Royal Hoopers Vs Dodan Warriors

4eme journée : Demi-finales – 22/09/2010
14H00 : 1ST GROUP-B Vs 2ND GROUP-A
16H00 : 2ND GROUP-B Vs 1ST GROUP-A

5eme journée : 23/09/2010
14H00 : MATCH DE CLASSEMENT
16H00 : FINALE

Results – Friday
Miracle 90-48 Marines
Women
Amazon 25-106 KCC
Today at YMCA
Berkley v Power (7.30pm)
Heaters v Rhino (3.30pm)
Crane v Kings (11.30am)
UCU v Stormers (9.30am)
Women
KIU v Bucks (5.30pm)

If Miracle Eagles are to get into the MTN-Fuba League play-offs for the first time, they must reproduce performances like Friday night’s 90-48 crushing of Nkumba Marines.

The Rubaga-based team came within a whisker of perfection to decimate a tame Marines side, who have earned the tag of ‘party spoilers’ following their recent victory over champions Kyambogo Warriors

Miracle’s success was again emblazoned in Stephen Omony as the star came within one assist of clinching a rare triple double having scored a game-high 24 points and picked 10 rebounds.
Wearing a huge smile, coach Brian Rugyendo sounded not too pleased with the plaudits received from the fair crowd at YMCA court, Wandegeya as his team took the first quarter 24-11 but wobbled in the next two.

“It wasn’t a perfect night as the players thought the game had been won too early,” Rugyendo told Sunday Monitor. Marines took the second quarter 17-13 to close the gap to five points. This re-awakened Miracle with Ceasre Mukalazi shooting five three-pointers on his way to 23 points and four steals

Normal business was resumed instantly with Miracle taking the final two periods 21-15 and 31-5 respectively.

At this point, a seemingly disinterested Marines incensed their coach Timothy Odeke by going six minutes and six seconds without scoring at the start of the fourth period.
Even in defeat, Philip Wakimwero stood tall with 16 points and seven rebounds whereas Wilson Otweyo added 14.

In the women’s division, champions KCC Leopards dispatched Amazon 106-25 in convincing fashion.

Libya recorded the first win at the Arab Nations Cup in Lebanon. They shot down Kuwait to improve at 1-2 record in Group A. Libya thus left the last place in the ladder sending Kuwait at 0-3 record there. Mohamed Youssef (86) came up with 21 points to lead Libya.
Kuwait surged ahead in the opening frame. They posted a 23:21 lead ten minutes into the game. Libya challenged their opponents in the second term. The African side managed to get as close as one point at halftime 38:39. Libya maintained the pressure in the third period. They erased the deficit to level things up at 54 heading into the fourth quarter. Libya capitalized on several mistakes late in regulation to spur in front and seal the victory at the end. Abdallah Salim added 13 points for the winners. Rashed AlRabah (189-F-87) replied with 16 points for Kuwait. Libya will take on Morocco tonight, while Kuwait will face Egypt on Sunday

africabasket.com

Les play-offs de la DStv League démarrent ce dimanche au Centre civique de Port Harcourt.

Les 8 clubs qualifiés sont repartis dans deux groupes ou chaque équipe disputera 3 rencontres et les 2 premiers de chaque poule seront qualifiés pour les demi-finales.

La poule A est constitué de Royal Hoopers, qui a terminé 1er de la Conférence Atlantique pendant la saison régulière. Kada Stars basketball club de Kaduna, Dodan Warriors de Lagos, et Niger Potters basketball club de Minna.

Dans le groupe B, on retrouve le champion en titre Kano Pillars, Union Bank de Lagos, Bauchi Nets basketball club, et Police Baton de Lagos.

Les 2 finalistes représenteront le Nigeria lors des éliminatoires Zone 3 de la coupe d’Afrique le mois prochain à Monrovia, Liberia.

Falcons v Ndejje (7.30pm)
St. Michael v Warriors (5.30pm)
Stone v Sharing (1.30pm)
Jammers v Ssaku (11.30am)
Bush Court v Planets (9.30am)
Women
Nabisunsa v UCU (3.30pm)

The MTN-Fuba League is surely nearing its business end with play-offs drawing ever closer. Whereas Mountain Dew Falcons and champions Kyambogo still have work to do, DMark Power and UCU Canons have their part to secure their places in the postseason.

This evening, Falcons and Warriors face mid-table strugglers Ndejje University Angels and minnows St. Michael at YMCA court, Wandegeya seeking a crucial final kick.

Losing to UCU last Friday was Falcons’ fourth this season. Avoiding a backlash is important as the six-time champions have made it a habit to fold in the fourth period which culminated into squandering an 11-point advantage to lose 69-63 to UCU. Richard Osano Omondi, Mike Buzangu and Cedric Sinarinzi could be forced to sacrifice some of their showboating soon.

Inconsistency has been Ndejje’s biggest undoing with only Donald Ssali showing signs regular good form.
For coach Gad Eteu, the stop-start season that Warriors have had will matter little when they get to ‘real business’ much as there is work to do. “This (fourth) position could go down to the difference in points so it’s good to get as many as possible from every game,” Eteu noted. Guard Abdullahi Ramadhan and MVP Ronnie Kasewu will have to be at their best.

By Doreen Umutesi

Today

Ferwaba vs UGB
Rusizi vs Espoir

Sunday

Rusizi vs Ferwaba

FERWABA Select have one thing on their mind this weekend; to win their game and do it convincingly. The team entertains UGB this morning before wrapping up their league campaign tomorrow afternoon against Rusizi.

The youngster-dominated side, which will contribute the lion’s share of Rwanda’s team for the Afro-Basket U-18 Kagame Cup which is slated for next month, has been in superb form in their last two games and head coach Paris Nelson wants the run to continue.

After pounding Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) 71-53, the team also thrashed 2004 league champions Espoir 69-29.

Nelson also reckons that the weekend games will help assess the team’s level of preparation. “These games not only assess the players, they also build teamwork,” Nelson noted.

Today’s other game pits Rusizi against Espoir.

by Olusegun Ikuesan)
The eight clubs that made it to the final-8 playoffs of the Nigeria DStv Premier League have perfected strategy to out do one another as the playoffs dunks-off on Sunday at the Civic Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The eight clubs four from each of the Atlantic and the Savannah conference of the league are drawn in two groups where each team will play on a round-robin of three games each with the two top club from group qualifying for the semi-finals.

In group-A is host Royal Hoopers basketball club of Port Harcourt who topped the Atlantic conference during the regular seaon, second placed team in the Savannah conference Kada Stars basketball club of Kaduna, Atlantic conference third place finisher, Dodan Warriors basketball club of Lagos and fourth placed team from the Savannah conference Niger Potters basketball club of Minna.

Leading the challenge in group-B is Savannah conference leader and defending champion of the DStv league, Kano Pillars basketball club of Kano, second placed team from the Atlantic conference Union Bank basketball club of Lagos, third placed team of the Savannah conference Bauchi Nets basketball club of Bauchi and fourth placed Atlantic conference side Police Baton basketball club of Lagos.

In Day-1 of the playoffs slated for Sunday at the Civic Centre Dodan Warriors basketball club will take on Niger Potters basketball club at 12H00, defending champion Kano Pillars basketball club will slug it out against Union Bank basketball club at 14H00, Bauchi Nets basketball club and Police Baton basketball club will take their turn at 16H00 while home side Royal Hoopers basketball club battles Kada Stars basketball club of Kaduna at 18H00.

Four of the eight clubs (Kano Pillars, Union Bank, Dodan Warriors and Niger Potters) will bank on their continental experience in the race for a semi-final tickets, Bauchi Nets is making it to the playoffs for the first time in ten years, Royal Hoopers and Kada Stars the two latest team on the scene are making their second straight playoffs while Police Baton basketball club qualified for the playoffs for the first time since they made it to the big league.

The finalist will qualify to represent Nigeria at the FIBA Africa Zone-3 qualifiers holding next month in Monrovia, Liberia.

Key players to watch out for: Kano Pillars - Abubakar Usman, Ibrahim Yusuf, Mathew Onmonya, Kelvin Nambam. Union Bank - Azuoma Dike, Onyeka Ekpete, Seyi Ayodele. Dodan Warriors Mohammed Bukar, Edwin Jerry. Bauchi Nets Manasseh Achi and Akpara Akita. Niger Potters Emmanuel Dream and Chigozie Nwoye. Royal Hoopers Musa Usman, Moses Daudu, Kingsley Aguara and Victor Anthony. Police Baton Malik Tella, Kelvin Dandison. Kada Stars Yakubu Yusuf, Adeolu Olaiya Ojo and Orseer Ikyaator.

By Charles Mutebi

THE Nkumba Marines have a message for everyone: ‘we are still interested in the playoffs’.

Timothy Odeke’s team have been overlooked in discussions about which teams have made or will make the men’s div 1 post-season but, ahead of their clash with the Miracle Eagles at YMCA today, the Nkumba coach says his side are still in the fight.

“It is not too late for us to qualify for the playoffs,” said the gifted coach. “We just have to bring down two big teams.” One of those big teams is the Falcons, the other Miracle.

Brian Rugyendo’s Eagles have been soaring since the start of the second round, thanks in large part to the signing of Steven Omony. The guard has helped transform the side into a serious playoff contender in a short space of time.

In fact, Miracle will qualify for the post-season if they win all their remaining regular-season fixturesespecially the one against defending league champions Kyambogo Warriors.

In Wednesday’s games, Norman Blick sunk a game-high 27 points while Joseph Ikong added 23 as Power blew-out the KCC Lions 97-47 at YMCA. Michael Opolot netted a team-high 15 for KCC.

Liberia international basketball star Pele Paeley has switched club in Europe.
The big man has resurfaced at his old hunting ground, Germany.
Eurobasket.com reports the 26 year old has signed a lucrative deal with Oliver Baskets of the German Pro A League.
Details are still sketchy on the terms and condition of the contract.
Oliver Baskets coach Marcel Schroeder described Pele as a player that has both defensive and offensive qualities.
Pele Paeley joins the club from French Pro B side Etoile Charleville-Mezieres where spent only a season.
The former Teckpro Braves star average 13.4 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game during his stay at the club.

The Men’s second division always represents much of the unreported drama in Ugandan basketball. What is exciting about this league is the ability of any team to frustrate another. Nevertheless, Rhino which was relegated from 1st division is taking the driver’s seat , Gulu Hawks are also bouncing back and the Power Heaters hope to avoid the playoffs disappointment that happened last season.



Rhino has a 80 percent standing losing to Heaters and MBC Rocks in the first round and has not lost a game in the second round. Shooting guard Opio Mark is leading the attack for the Rhinos and he’s confident that there will not be a barrier that the boys will not overcome. He says, “losing the playoff deciding game last season by a single point to Berkley has everything to do with the recent Rhino form. We felt it hard on us after we lost to Berkley in that game and we resolved to stay together as a team to finish the business we started.”

Rhino will play against Heaters on the 19th of September and the rivalry between these two second division teams is the sweetest. Heaters beat Rhino in the first leg and Rhino will be out for revenge.

Heaters Head Coach Bryan Wathum says of this encounter, “Whichever team wins this encounter will have the bragging rights”. So both teams, it’s a gaining a playoff spot that is at stake as well as team pride.

In a consequent report, Vegetarian could have its playoff spot in jeopardy after losing two consecutive games first to relegation threaten Livingston and losing their previous encounter at home to Gulu Hawks by a point. Vegetarian narrowly missed a playoff spot last season and will be looking forward to avoiding the same fate this season.

Here below is the standings as of 8th September 2010 for the men’s DIV II.



NO
Mens Division II


1-Charging Rhino 8-2

2- MBC Rocks 6-6

3-MUK Heaters 7-3

4-Vegetarian 6-4

5-Diamonds 5-5

6-Gulu Hawks 5-2

7- Livingstone 2-9

8- Sharing Youth 1-9

Saudi Arabia started their Arab Nations Cup campaign with victory over Sudan. The Asian team overcame a slow start to rally to the confident victory at the end. Sudan in the meantime suffered the second straight defeat and remained at the bottom of Group B.
The African side got to the better start. They limited Saudi Arabia to 11 points in the opening frame and ensured a 19:11 lead. But as Saudi Arabia adjusted their offense they started to narrow the deficit. Saudi Arabia trailed by just one point at halftime. More to come as the Asian team surged in front in the third quarter. They held their opponents to 13 points and entered the fourth quarter up by 7 points. Saudi Arabia maintained the lead well enough posting the initial win at the end. Ayman Al Mowalled (88) delivered 15 points to pace Saudi Arabia. Wissam Kamal (89) answered with game-high 25 points. William Mills (78) had 14 points in the loss. Sudan will next take on Iraq on Saturday, while Saudi Arabia will face Iraq on Thursday.

by Obusitse Kologwe
africabasket.com

Despite financial challenges, the Flames, a Francistown basketball team, vows that nothing will derail their dream to take the league in the country some day. In an interview with the Sunday Standard, the Guyana-born coach of the team, Marvin Griffith, said that life may not be rosy for the team but he is very confident that the team will someday flourish and put Francistown on the map. I am very confident as I speaking to you because we have beat big teams, like Spartans, and recently we played a tournament in Gaborone where we did not lose a single match, Griffith said.

He said that Basketball, like any other sport, has its own adversaries. He added that there is still a need, especially in Francistown, for the sport to be cultivated at root level, that is to sensitize it among children at early ages. He pointed out that although the sport is still in its infancy stages in Francistown and in the country at large, he foresees great potential if only the sport could be promoted among the young ones. However stressing on the challenges, Griffith maintained that lack of basketball courts, funds and lack of professional coaches remains a mammoth task for the team.

He added that the team has so far embarked on first promoting its games by playing hard and wining games to try and lure the interest of sponsors. The other thing that I need to highlight is that although we are going through hard times due to the mentioned challenges, we have so far managed to come up with training camps to train the youth at primary and secondary school to develop the love for basketball in the city, he said. He stressed that since the establishment of the sports camps, there is much growth in basketball interest among the youth.

Griffith added that their performance lately has been very impressive and they are looking forward to surprise the basketball teams in Botswana some day. He also mentioned that the only sponsors they benefited from this year was BECOR Brick, a Francistown-based company that sponsored their trip to play their Gaborone tournaments. We are currently looking at the second half of the league and we are very confident we are going to come up as victors, he maintained

The Arab nations championship began yesterday with victories of Algeria and Egypt. At the opposite the team from Sudan has been heavily beaten by the host nation.

Here are the results of the first day:

Algeria 70: 68 Kuwait
Egypt 95 :42 Libya
Lebanon 80: 49 sudan

The program of the second day:

September 15: Saudi Arabia / Sudan
Morocco / Kuwait

Written by Felix Eupal
http://www.observer.ug/

By all accounts, Miracle basketball team, despite its 15-year existence, is average and has never made the playoffs.

Over the years, they have delivered so little that Brian Mingi, the CEO, took matters in his hands at times by giving instructions on the sidelines. That was the case until they signed new coach Brian Rugyendo before the start of the season.

Around the same time, league champions Warriors downsized their squad and Miracle offered Warriors rejects like Albert Aciko, Francis Kasekende and Nelson Wafula a soft landing.

The search didn’t stop there; they also acquired Collins Mukiza and Derrick Mbuusi from relegation-threatened Knight Rhiders.

Meanwhile, the pair of Caesar Kizito and Ronald Bajjunga graduated from Miracle’s junior team MBC Rocks as Edwin Kateregga joined the bandwagon from Falcons.

But there was one missing part to make the puzzle complete; an inspirational player who would drive the rest of the team. Mingi tirelessly tried to get the services of Stephen Okias but the player made a U-turn at the eleventh hour.
Enter Omony

Then out of nowhere - like the biblical manna from heaven, Stephen Omony availed himself as a free agent.

Omony is arguably the best talent to have grace Ugandan basketball and Miracle didn’t think twice before recruiting him. On his unveiling, a calm Omony said he was not a small god as most people assumed; his main agenda was to get the team to the playoffs.

That agenda started with the regional Zone V Club Championship held last month in Bujumbura. The underdogs stunned everyone winning two group games which included a first over Warriors.

From then on, the team that has spent most of their topflight fighting relegation suddenly discovered a fighting spirit with Omony captaining the ship. On Tuesday, they moved a step nearer to achieving a playoff berth when they pipped second-placed UCU Canon 79-74 thanks to Omony’s 35 points.

Omony’s inspirational play is rubbing off the team and has given the other players the confidence, belief and never-say-die attitude. Rugyendo knows it’s still a long way and won’t let his boys become complacent. “We will take every game as it comes,” he says. For now, they lie sixth but it’s hard to bet against them making the playoffs.

By Charles Mutebi

THE Knight Riders appear to possess more than an outside chance at surviving relegation from the FUBA men�s basketball first division.

Going into their match with St. Michael today the Riders sit one place outside the drop zone, having managed 24 points from 18 games.

However their position is far from safe, considering the KIU Titans, who are one place below the Riders on 22 points, have two games in hand while the KCC Lions, who are a further place back on 22 points have a game in hand.

Put simply, the Riders remain in mortal danger of being demoted to the men�s second division come October. The only way the Riders can prevent relegation is if they win the rest of their regular-season games and KIU lose theirs.

It is no mean feat since the Riders still have to face Power and the Kyambogo Warriors in two of those games. In between those matches, they take on KIU.

The Entebbe-based Riders are favourites in none of those three games, a situation that directly translated means, they are certain of relegation.

Today
Power v KCC Lions 7.30pm
K.Riders v St. Micheal 5:00pm

DMark Power will today look to cement themselves as seed one with the playoff status already secured in the MTN-Fuba league. Already enjoying the summit of the table standings at 33 points, the former champions are looking at exploiting the mistakes made by their opponents. With an opportunity presenting itself today against KCC Lions at YMCA Wandegeya, a game many believe is almost a done deal, but KCC, third from bottom, shouldn’t be a team overlooked in power’s way to victory.

Big forward Isaac Afidra told Daily Monitor that they want to do what the team has not yet done like playing in the basics zonal game rather the usual transitional running game.“We have always played the full press court game and in such games you have luxury of trying out different things and also reserve some energy and also give fringe players chance,” said Afidra.KCC Lions coming off a 70-48 loss to Ndejje will be hoping to put up a fight as their division one league status is already at stake.

Last season KCC survived relegation through the board room after petitioning the National Council of Sports (NCS) to award them points in which their opponents (UCU Canons) failed to honor a fixture but the problem was discovered to originate from the federation’s miscommunication. In the other game, Entebbe-based Knight Riders and fellow relegation candidates St. Micheal will face off in the day’s early encounter.

PLS HAWKS reached the century mark on Sunday at Victoria Gymnasium, while Mont Fleuri Dawgz had their lead cut but held on for a win over RC Dynamics.

With soldier Daniel ‘Yellow’ Victor carrying their scoring load with 28 points, including two 3-pointers, PLS Hawks clocked up a century, beating Angels 102-55.

Nigerian Alao Solomon (21 points), captain Bernard Bristol (16), centre Rodney Lozé (14) and veteran power forward Jim Domingue (11) all scored in double figures for coach Clifford Joubert’s team.

Angels’ Barry Dubignon netted four shots from downtown for 12 of his team-leading 18 points, while David Boniface added 14.

Also on Sunday, Mont Fleuri Dawgz almost lost the plot as RC Dynamics closed a 12-point deficit to 2, but could not equalise.

With Nigel Cafrine netting 19 points before fouling out, and playmaker and captain Reggie Ah-kong scoring 16 points including 8 from the foul line, the Dawgz celebrated a 65-60 win over RC Dynamics.

Wilby Domingue finished as the game’s best scorer with 21 points but it was not enough to earn RC Dynamics a win.

They also had Ronny Julius (13 points) and Emmanuel Jupiter (11) scoring in double figures before leaving the game early with five personal fouls apiece.

Meanwhile, RA Sisters dominated Cadettes 98-16 in a women’s match.

Skipper J. Mathiot had the hot hands for RA Sisters with a game-high 44 points and Leona Zacek added 20.
S. Rose netted two 3-pointers and finished as Cadettes’ best scorer with 8 points.

G. G.

By Doreen Umutesi

Results

Men
Ferwaba 69-29 Espoir
CSK 98-67 UGB
UNR 84-61 KIE
KBC 99-78UGB
Rusizi 00-20 KIE

Women
APR 52-16 GSST Joseph
KIE 20-00 GSNDP
GSST Joseph 20-00 GSNDP
UNR 79-23 KIE

Kigali Basketball Club boosted their chances of lifting a maiden league title after a 99-78 victory over a fighting UGB side over the weekend.

The win moved the first-timers to 28points in 15games. This also means that defending champions APR, who are a point clear will kiss their hopes of lifting a third successive league title goodbye if KBC beat Ferwaba’s select in their final league match slated for September 25.

Ahead of this tie, KBC‘s head coach Pierre Gategabondo has heaped praise on his players for their determination and never say die attitude.

“The team has been phenomenon throughout the league and I hope they will maintain this run against Ferwaba select,” he said.

In the women category, APR cruised to their eighth win in a row after beating GSST Joseph 52-16.

by Olusegun Ikuesan) africabasket.com
Royal Hoopers basketball club of Port Harcourt, Rivers State is set to stage this years edition of the DStv Premier Basketball League final-8 playoffs which dunk-off on Sunday (19/09/10) at the Civic Centre as declared by the Secretary of the playoffs Local Organising Committee, Ifie Ozoka.

Speaking with our correspondent in Port Harcourt recently, the LOC Secretary says the Port Harcourt-based Hoopers is set to stage the best final-8 in the history of the league.

We are happy to be awarded the right to stage the final-8 playoffs by the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF and we are prepared to showcase the hostipitality side of the great people of Rivers State.

Aside providing a quality venue for the games we have also lined up quality artists who will perform each day of the playoffs.

Our technical crew are also not leaving anything to chance as we are determined to picked one of the two continental tickets to justify the maximum support we have received from our chairman Syndoph Endoni and the Rivers State government.

Everything is in place and we are confident of a successful start to finish final-8 playoffs, Ozoka concluded.

Royal Hoopers topped the Atlantic conference of the DStv Premier League with Union Bank, Dodan Warriors and Police Baton who are making the final-8 playoffs cut in the Nigeria for the first time in over two decades qualifying for the Port Harcourt show.

From the Savannah conference come defening champion, Kano Pillars, Kada Stars, Bauchi Nets who is making a come back to the playoffs after ten years with Niger Potters picking the fought slot from the conference.

Among the games decided in the run off to the playoffs, Delta Force basketball club of Asaba picked a valuable 58-55 points away win over Royal Hoopers basketball club of Port Harcourt, Police Baton basketball club had the better of Union Bank basketball club in Lagos by 70-60 points while Dodan Warriors basketball club complete the Atlantic conference regular season game with a 72-57 points victory over Lagos Islanders on Sunday.

Niger Potters basketball club fought a spirited battle to upstage AHIP Giants basketball club of Kano by 52-47 points win in Minna with Plateau Peaks basketball club of Jos failing to show up for its home game against defending champion, Kano Pillars basketball club in Kaduna.

Results – Friday
UCU 69-63 Falcons
Women
UCU 77-48 A-1
Today at YMCA
KIU v Power (7.30pm)
UCU v St. Michael (5.30pm)
Women
KCC v Amazon (3.30pm)

On a rare Friday night, both UCU sides left YMCA court, Wandegeya with deserved victories despite doing it in contrasting fashion. After watching UCU Lady Canons thrash A-1 Challenge 77-48, the men’s team, UCU Canons, erased an 11-point deficit heading into the final period to defeat Mountain Dew Falcons 69-63 in the MTN-Fuba League.
Anastasia Njeri (17), Lyn Nalunkuma (15), Brenda Mbone (13), Lorraine Akinyi (11) and Maureen Amoding almost wiped A1 from the face of basketball.

This was probably A1’s worst performance this season as only Elizabeth Baziira (14) breached the 10-point barrier.

Nonetheless, ‘Showtime’ was reserved for the ‘big boys’ from Mukono as they finally matched Falcons’ physical advantage in admirable style.
Captain Ivan Enabu was the main catalyst with a team-high 18 points but UCU won the game by opting to restrict the six-time champions to the charity line.

The university side made the game dour by unleashing several intentional fouls that made the game dour but more importantly frustrated Falcons before making the final kill.

“They are bigger than us in size and the only to play them was to get physical. I though we have improved in the way we handle crunch time,” Nick Natuwereza, UCU’s youthful coach, told Sunday Monitor.
Falcons led 17-11, 14-14 and 12-17 in the opening three quarters before folding in the penultimate period which UCU won by a whooping 17 points (32-15) to avenge their first round loss.

Robert Mugabe came off the bench to score six of his 10 points when it mattered most with Steven Mwesigye (10) and Jimmy Enabu (5) offering support.

Omondi’s big score
A bruised Richard Osano Omondi, the biggest casualty of UCU’s physicality, sunk a game-high 21 points as Falcons converted only 20 of their 41 free throws.

Mike Buzangu (12) and Bienvenue Ngandu (10) could only make the game close as Karim Nkusi (3) and Cedric Sinarinzi (5) spent most of their time on the bench. It was Falcons’ fourth defeat.

Fiba-Africa Zone Five basketball club champions Eagle Wings on Saturday whitewashed Predators 82-30 in a one-sided women’s Premier League match at the Nyayo National Stadium.

Former women’s champions Kenya Ports Authority also had an easy run, beating hosts Kenya College of Accountancy University (KCA-U) 80-20.

Parklands Baptist kepttheir top form, thrashing Friends of Basketball 64-43. Mennonites were too good forTrail Blazers, whom they defeated 56-45.

Having failed to travel to Mombasa last weekend, reigning league champions Eagle Wings pounced on Predators early. Superstar Shan Silalei hit eight points while Angela Akoth was also on fire to lead Eagle Wings toa 23-4 first-quarter lead.

Predators, who had their engine Wilkister Akinyi ejected on five fouls, trailed 44-17 at half-time. Silalei took all the responsibility as Eagle Wings easily went up 20-8 and 18-5 in the last two quarters.

A hardworking Caroline Oyugi scored 13 for Predators, who are shaping upfor an international invitational tournament in South Africa later this month.

KPA registered two important points when Vyonne Akinyi scored 14 points and Milicent Anyango 10 to lead them to a 80-20 victory over KCA-U.

The students had nothing to offer, going down with a huge 33-4 margin at half-time. Salmah Akinyi hit 10 points andHilda Luvandwa 11 for KPA.

Maintain their good record

Joseph Situma scored 17 points while Daniel Imbali shot 12 to help Parklands Baptist maintain their good record while beating Friends of Basketball 64-43.

The victors led 26-19at half-time, Derick Walumbe providing 10 points as GilbertObiero got 15 for the losers.
Mennonites also kept the fire burning when they hit Trail Blazers 56-45after leading 26-14 at the breather. Evergreen Steve McOdongo scored a game-high 15 points for Mennonites while Dennis Oyaro replied with 13.

Today at YMCA
Riders v Miracle (7.30pm)
Berkley v Warriors (5.30pm)
KCC v Ndejje (3.30pm)
Vegetarian v Gulu (1.30pm)
UCU JV v Kings (9.30am)
Women
Mak Sparks v Mak Cubs


After an insipid and almost predictable first round when Kyambogo Warriors, DMark Power, UCU Canons and Mountain Dew Falcons looked like certainties for the four play-off slots, Miracle Eagles is ready to shake up the status quo.

A combination of Miracle’s resurgence after six first round defeats and Warriors’ recent wobbles has set up a two-horse race for the final postseason position.

Today, that race takes another twist as Miracle and Warriors face enigmatic Knight Riders and basement Berkley respectively. The latter two are vulnerable in their fight against relegation.

Stephen Omony’s star has shone through for Miracle but their resolve will be tested by the speed and spirit of Riders. John Musoke, Edward Kabanda and Ivan Mutabazi are expected to lead Riders.

Today’s fixtures
Ferwaba vs Espoir
CSK vs UGB
UNR vs KIE

Women
APR vs GSST Joseph
KIE vs GSNDP

Sunday
Men
KBC vs UGB
Rusizi vs KIE
CSK vs Espoir

KIGALI Basketball Club (KBC) will move closer to their first league title if they beat UGB on Sunday.

The league debutants proved their title credentials when they edged defending champions APR (56-55) two weeks ago. In the first round, KBC dominated UGB to win the encounter 82-55 and the side’s head coach Pierre Gategabondo hopes for a similar result this weekend.

After 14 games, KBC tops the league with 26 points, one ahead of APR and six clear of UGB.

In the ladies category, APR hope to keep their unbeaten run intact when they take on weaklings GSST Joseph today.

As this year’s Nestle Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship draws nearer, Lagos State representatives, University of Lagos, International School are sure of the state government’s support in the competition.

According to the Chairman of Lagos State Sports Council, LSSC, Agboola Dabiri, the council has directed the state’s basketball association to give the school all the necessary support that will make them win the championship.

Dabiri, who is a former member of the state’s Football Association, stated that the board will give the school all the support it needed to make the state proud.

He said the council is in tune with the vision of the state government through the Ministry of Sports to develop sports from the grassroots.

He noted that the young basketballers are the future of the game not only in the state but in the country, hence the technical input of the state for proper coaching and development matters.

He also praised the sponsors, Nestle Nigeria PLC for bankrolling the championship for the past 10 years. He charged them to continue to support the youths, who are the future of the country.

Six schools in both the boys and girls categories have already qualifed for the finals, which will hold in Lagos next month.