Basketball in Africa

As the end of the Airtel Fuba League regular season nears, Felix Eupal assesses five lessons from last week's games.
This is the best Falcons squad
Blue Cube Falcons are playing so well that it seems they have started feeling the pressure of going 14 games unbeaten. "We just have to continue working on our routines and executing our plays right and who knows how far we can go," Gad Eteu, Falcons assistant coach told The Observer.
That was after Flacons stopped Kyambogo Warriors in humbling fashion on Friday evening at the YMCA grounds. Falcons outplayed, outwitted and outsmarted Warriors in almost every department, and they have done so to most of their victims.
They have two games before they start the post season; Dmark Power and KIU Titans. Even if they lose both games, it is certain no one wants to meet them in the post season because of their championship look.
Abdullahi past his best days
Ever since Tanzanian point guard Abdullahi Ramathan graced the Ugandan basketball scene in 2009, he has been a marvel to watch. He was instrumental as Warriors won their first championship that year and last year, he still produced several Kodak moments.
But, upon his return to Falcons last Friday, Ramathan managed only five points. Is it that he has lost his touch? Is age catching up with the 34-year-old or was it just lack of match fitness? All these questions will be answered this Friday when Falcons take on the two-time champions Dmark Power.
Geoffrey Soro should be regular season MVP
Two years ago, just a handful of coaches wanted Geoffrey Soro on their roster. He looked half-baked. However, Ndejje Angels coach Walker Obedi knew what he had. When Ndejje lost Cyrus Kiviiri and Donald Ssali, Obedi started building a team around Soro.
Many thought it was a poor call, but Soro has defied odds, averaging 22.3 points a game. Last Sunday, it was Soro's stellar performance - a game high 23 points and 11 rebounds - that earned Ndejje a 63-61 win over the UCU Canons.
The win even breathed life back into their postseason hopes after a terrible second round performance. Ndejje look like they can make the playoffs for the first time and they will have Soro to thank for that.
The Canons missing link
UCU Canons have been quite an enigma this season. At times they are willing to die on court for the win yet at other times they have no fight in them.
Then there are moments they just let wins slip out, like they did on Sunday evening against Ndejje. If they still harbour hopes of making the playoff finals for the first time, then coach Nicolas Natuhereza has to get a firm grip on his boys.
Miracles reality check
Every season has a party spoiler and Miracle is that team this time round. For a squad that started the season looking like relegation candidates, Miracle have turned the tables and are in line to make the playoffs for the second year running. So, whoever meets them should expect a shocker.