Basketball in Africa

Today at YMCA
Uganda v Miracle (8pm)
Women
Select v Uganda (6pm)
Like many would expect, preparation for any event – personal or public – meets extra scrutiny and the two national basketball teams cannot expect less.

The Fiba Africa Zone V Nations Championship is coming fast and this evening presents an essential step in laying the groundwork with trial games for both men and women at YMCA court, Wandegeya. Miracle Eagles will offer the challenge for the men’s team that showed grit to overcome UCU Canons 72-60 last Saturday whereas the women have another select side in their sights following a 73-45 rout ahead of the February 7-12 event in Kigali, Rwanda.

The men swung the ball impressively in the first two periods against UCU, tried out the full court press in the third and were almost left to fend for themselves without instructions when the game was tied at 60-all in the final quarter. However, the biggest worry for coach Gad Eteu is that his team did not make many of their forays count in terms of converting shots.
“Shooting just needs more practice and guys will start to sink those soon,” Eteu said.

Forwards Philip Wakimwero, Isaac Afidra, captain Stephen Omony and Norman Blick desperately need this as shooting practice since the team’s cry for three trial games may not materialise.