27 May 2011
UGANDA : Ndejje Angels fly over local basketball opponents
Written by Felix Eupal
Inspired by critics, Walker Obedi has guided his Ndejje Angels team to a great start to the season thus far by winning two out of two.
It is, however, last Sunday’s triumph over UCU Canons that got many people sitting up and taking notice. The win over UCU was one over adversity, and it promptly mirrored Ndejje’s chronicle. Two years ago when they were elevated to topflight, no-one gave Ndejje a chance.
Obedi, though, was sure that they could punch above their weight. They did exactly this by finishing a respectable sixth in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons. They now want to go one better by making the playoffs.
Ndejje’s run in this year’s All Africa University Games in Nairobi showed that they are growing in leaps and bounds. They were only stopped at the quarterfinal stage by Nkumba Marines after missing a record 31 free throw shots on the line. Obedi knew that there was work to be done, and he showed that he had conjured up something good at the drawing board when he led Ndejje to the Makerere Open 2011 edition title.
That triumph gave Ndejje the belief which Obedi says was the biggest missing aspect in their squad. The same belief carried Ndejje to second position at the 2011 UCU Open invitational tournament.
Not convinced with their runner up position at the UCU invitational, Ndejje management stepped up their game by following the lead of defending champions, Dmark Power.
Power use YMCA as their training ground, and this has bolstered the team. Ndejje also uses the same ground which hosts the league games. They paid the YMCA management, which has enabled them train at the Wandegeya court four times a week.
“The players know which spots to take the big shots from,” says Obedi.
This Friday they come up against a winless Marines side, and Obedi says, “This season I said to myself that every game that I’m sure of winning I will be in a suit. I was in a suit against the Canons and I will definitely suit up for Marines”.
Inspired by critics, Walker Obedi has guided his Ndejje Angels team to a great start to the season thus far by winning two out of two.
It is, however, last Sunday’s triumph over UCU Canons that got many people sitting up and taking notice. The win over UCU was one over adversity, and it promptly mirrored Ndejje’s chronicle. Two years ago when they were elevated to topflight, no-one gave Ndejje a chance.
Obedi, though, was sure that they could punch above their weight. They did exactly this by finishing a respectable sixth in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons. They now want to go one better by making the playoffs.
Ndejje’s run in this year’s All Africa University Games in Nairobi showed that they are growing in leaps and bounds. They were only stopped at the quarterfinal stage by Nkumba Marines after missing a record 31 free throw shots on the line. Obedi knew that there was work to be done, and he showed that he had conjured up something good at the drawing board when he led Ndejje to the Makerere Open 2011 edition title.
That triumph gave Ndejje the belief which Obedi says was the biggest missing aspect in their squad. The same belief carried Ndejje to second position at the 2011 UCU Open invitational tournament.
Not convinced with their runner up position at the UCU invitational, Ndejje management stepped up their game by following the lead of defending champions, Dmark Power.
Power use YMCA as their training ground, and this has bolstered the team. Ndejje also uses the same ground which hosts the league games. They paid the YMCA management, which has enabled them train at the Wandegeya court four times a week.
“The players know which spots to take the big shots from,” says Obedi.
This Friday they come up against a winless Marines side, and Obedi says, “This season I said to myself that every game that I’m sure of winning I will be in a suit. I was in a suit against the Canons and I will definitely suit up for Marines”.
# posted by afrbk : 13:07
