Basketball in Africa

Somewhere in Entebbe, the Enabu family has spent a considerable part of their time since Saturday evening celebrating its first national basketball champion.
Emmanuel Enabu, the youngest of the three, is part of the DMark Power team that defeated Kyambogo Warriors 83-71 to clinch the best-of-seven MTN-Fuba League final series 4-3.

In doing so, he achieved something his two elder brothers, Ivan and Jimmy, are yet to do despite playing in the league longer. “It really feels good to win anything and being my first season, it’s even better,” Emmanuel told Daily Monitor. And there’s no need to sour grape by UCU Canons mercurial guard Ivan, the more heralded and most known of the three despite his side losing in the semifinals to Warriors.

Ivan happy
“I am very happy for him and glad he has had a chance to do something I haven’t been able to just yet,” Ivan, the eldest and a seven-year veteran in the league, said. At the start of this year, Jimmy left hometown side Knight Riders to join to link with Ivan at the Mukono-based university side but they just fell short. May be, the duo need someone to learn from like Emmanuel, an understudy, has found in point guard Ben Komakech. “Ben has taught me so much. As a young player, he can be such a good role model both on and off the court,” Emmanuel said in praise of the 2008 MVP and now two-time champion.

All three didn’t rule out the possibility of playing together someday even though Ivan is thinking about his next move. He completed his education at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Mukono this year.

“Right now, it’s time to celebrate Christmas then I can make up mind about where I want to play next season. Just keep working then a championship will come,” Ivan, arguably the most skilled hoops star locally, revealed.
A proud father, surely!