Basketball in Africa

Luanda — 1º de Agosto will try to keep their lead of the final four phase of the national senior males basketball championship, when they face this Tuesday Recreativo do Libolo at Luanda's Dream Space pavilion, for the group A's third round.
1º de Agosto lead the competition with four points, while Recreativo do Libolo are at the fourth place with three points.

Basketball stakeholders have cried foul over the non release of sponsorship funds of N58 million naira to clubs participating in the 2012/2013 DStv Premier Basketball League season.
Though the new league season finally took off over the weekend with matches in the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences, stakeholders are not at peace with what the NBBF has described as 40% - 60% sharing formula for the 16 clubs.
In a statement by the stake holders made available to Sports Vanguard yesterday, they expressed worry over the fact that no monies had been credited to the accounts of clubs before the start of the league on April 26th, 2013.
Clubs are particularly worried that given the new 28 games format which has made the over head cost extremely enormous as the N1.45m the federation intends to pay for was grossly inadequate.
In his reaction, President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Tijani Umar challenged clubs in the country's top flight DSTV Basketball league to look for alternative sources of revenue instead of depending on the paltry amount they get as sponsorship funds.
Speaking to Sports Vanguard yesterday Umar said the accusation was spurious and lacked logic.
"The money they are talking about got into our account only on Thursday and today is just Monday. How on earth do you think all the banking procedures could have been completed before the end of day today?" he asked, adding , "as I speak, one of the clubs is yet to forward their bank details to us."
Tijani insisted, "we are very accountable. This is election period, I believe some of them have a hidden agenda and I don't care about what they say. What they should bother about is how to make money for themselves through intensive marketing instead of clinging unto sponsorship money, which is not enough, by the way."
He explained that the federation's share of the sponsorship money has been earmarked for officiating and technical, management of league board, upgrading of facilities and logistics for the entire season.
He challenged clubs to look for alternative home grounds. "In Lagos alone we have UNILAG, Teslim Balogun stadium and Rowe Park indoor sports halls. Why are they insisting on playing at the indoor sports hall of the national Stadium?"

By Julius SenyimbaKampala B 44 Mukono 71
MUKONO ladies team made a statement of intent in the opening game of the annual Inter-cities Basketball tournament that kicked off on Monday with 71-44 points win over KCCA B at the Lugogo Arena.
The side that finished fourth in the last edition, after losing to KCCA A in the third place playoff, opened this campaign looking the hungrier team.
Mukono outscored KCCA B in three of the four quarters and the team’s skipper, Purity Adiambo attributed the near perfect performance to their strategy which focused on cramping their opponents for space.
“With this attitude, we will win this championship. The challenge is their but still, we are going to give it our best to reach the finals and clinch it,” Adiambo explained after their resounding win.
Adiambo lead her side’s scoring with 17points and 10 rebounds while vice-captain Maureen Amoding on bagged 12 points and 8 rebounds.
Joy Chemutal made a game-high 21points but couldn’t stop her team from tasting defeat Mukono.

Kampala, Uganda — It's almost impossible to talk about basketball in Uganda without mentioning Falcons basketball club.
They have won a record six titles. But for various reasons the club has been on a freefall prompting its management to restructure. This season Falcons riding on a Ush30m ($11,323) sponosrship bounty from Galaxy Fm to reclaim their throne.
Innocent Nahabwe proprietor of Galaxy Fm offered his patronage to the team promising casch bonuses for special wins among other incentives.
Falcons realized that their success is fan based and last week at Club Amnesia unveiled their squad and launched a fundraising drive to raise Ugssh75m ($28301) needed run the club.
Club directors Robert Kagoro and Denis Mbidde reiterated their desire to return to the top by doing everything right including players affairs.
"Our ambition of course to win the championship, last season showed that we can. There is pressure on us to be the best which is a good thing, pressure will drive us to success," Mbidde told East African business week sports desk.
The club has blended experience with young talent as a recipe to deliver, it showed against Rhinos intheir season opener last week. Captain Peter Elugant, Sam Obol, Steven Omony, Geofry Omondi and youngsters Stephen Tumwesigye make up the manttle of the team. Head coach Tony Oluka has cut out his technical approach clearly prefering a defensive approach rather than a running game.
Falcons is having their plans but it should be noted that basketball in Uganda is on the rise gauging from competition in the league.

The stage is set for the final of the Confluence Conference of the 2013 Nestle Milo Basketball championship holding at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Confluence Stadium in Lokoja, KogiState.
The final which comes up Tuesday will see AdamawaState taking on Katsina in the Boys category while Zamfara and Kano will fight for honours in the Girls category.
In the semi final matches decided yesterday, Adamawa Boys sent out hosts, Kogi Boys by a marginal one point victory as their highly contested, tension-soaked encounter ended 33-32 in favour of Adamawa.
The victors defied the massive support enjoyed by the home side from the spectators that included the Chief Judge of KogiState, Justice Nasiru Ajana to achieve their feat.
In the other semi final, Katsina Boys out dunked their BornoState counterparts to qualify for the final. Katsina won the tie by 53 to 50 points.
In the Girls category, Kano stole the show in their contest with Adamawa, beating them 12 - 8 to set up a mouth-watering final against free-scoring Zamfara State Girls who defeated Katsina 24 - 4.
Meanwhile, the losers' final will be coming up today as Kogi Boys take on their Adamawa counterparts while Katsina and Adamawa slug it out in the girls category.

The jury is still out on whether there is a connection between the first-ever sponsorship of Nigeria's men basketball league, and the qualification of the team to the London 2012 Olympics.
Prior to the sponsorship of the league by MultiChoice Nigeria which commenced in 2008/2009 season, D' Tigers, as the male team is popularly known, had striven unsuccessfully to qualify for the grand stage of basketball competition at the Olympics.
Time and time again, the team fell short, sometimes painfully close but never attaining qualification. However, three seasons into the sponsorship of the DStv Premier Basketball League, D' Tigers qualified for the very first time for the grand stage and did the league and country proud. Is the link between MultiChoice's sponsorship of the DStv Premier Basket League and D' Tiger's qualification for the Olympics tenuous?
This question is perhaps best answered in 2016 after the Rio Olympics must have been concluded because the sponsorship deal that led to the uplifting of the fortunes of male basketball in Nigeria has been renewed; and this time, the deal is bigger and better. Between now and the Rio Olympics, the growth and development of basketball in Nigeria is expected to maintain its upward curve as MultiChoice/DStv has ramped up its sponsorship of the league, from the previous N150million to about N230million (US$1.45m).
This is complemented with added incentives such as the continuous broadcast of live matches of the league which value runs into hundreds of millions of naira, expansion of the league to accommodate more clubs, and the attractiveness of the league to potential teams' sponsors as well as other avenues for brands to connect with their customers. With the growth in the popularity of the league coupled with high definition broadcast of matches, the DStv Premier Basketball League becomes a major platform for brands to connect with their customers.
With 16 teams from both the Savannah and Atlantic Conferences competing in the league, other sponsors beside MultiChoice who is the title sponsor have opportunities to benefit from using the DStv League to reach their target audiences. The immediate benefit the renewed sponsorship brings to basketball is what is most exciting.
First is that it gives the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) stability in managing its affairs, planning for the future, and expanding the reach of the sports to the grassroots, thereby expanding the scope of the game.
This much was attested to by the President of the NBBF, Tijjani Umar, who expressed delight at the sponsorship deal, promising to work with MultiChoice and other basketball stakeholders to continue to develop the game with a view to making it the number one family sport in the country.
Umar also said that the federation will implement a series of developmental programmes to support the clubs and raise the standard of the game in the country
"We will work very hard and consistently to build on our London 2012 Olympics outing. We will also take basketball to the grassroots so as to widen the base of the sport and also recruit the next generation of basketball stars for the benefit of the country," he added.
The sponsorship initiative, which if added to the previous one becomes an eight-year period, is no mean feat particularly in an environment where organisations are grappling with operational challenges as well as high overheads, and an inability to plan long term as the variables required for such extensive insight are in a constant flux. The sponsorship and support from MultiChoice give the NBBF stability, which is a crucial element needed for long term planning and growth.
Mayo Okunola, General Manager, DStv, described the sponsorship deal as a relationship in progress.
"The profile of teams, players and the league has been considerably boosted since we entered into the partnership with NBBF to sponsor the league. We can only envisage a brighter future for basketball in Nigeria following the renewal of the sponsorship deal. Our long term commitment to the development of quality programming on TV also extends to our contribution to the development of sports, which we believe will have a positive impact on the lives of people and their communities."
The 2012 - 2016 seasons will likely witness clubs building on the experience that they have garnered over the past four years competing in a stable league that was ushered in by the previous sponsorship. There will likely be more focus on improving the quality of play, enhancing the marketability of the names of the clubs, attracting more fans to the courts, which without a stable environment, would have been impossible to bring about.
"We would be raising (more) money for the clubs and the league through the branding and marketing of most of the clubs jerseys," said Umar.
According to the NBBF president, the 16 clubs will share 40 percent of the new sponsorship fee while the balance 60 percent would be for the running of the league.
"Yet again, we will be experiencing another four years of value being added to our league and the federation itself. We are happy about this development for it is indeed another milestone achievement that would yield a great thing for basketball," enthused Umar.
The greatest benefit, however, is the unstated, incalculable value that the broadcast of matches brings to the league.
The matches are broadcast live on high definition channels to millions of homes in 50 countries in Africa and to some other parts of the world. Without such a platform, no sport can attract any worthwhile or meaningful sponsorship: without TV broadcast, the scope of sport is limited to just the fans at the arena where the sporting event is taking place. With TV broadcast, however, the scope is expanded beyond the confines of the sporting arena to millions of homes, hotels, airports, and anywhere a TV set might be. Indeed, without TV broadcast, sports will lose most of its attraction.
The value of the live broadcast is better appreciated when it is beamed on primetime on the DStv premium and compact plus bouquets, which is a status only enjoyed by highly regarded and valuable sports content. What this means for the DStv Premier Basketball League is that the players and clubs enjoy premium exposure to potential sponsors, just as the brands of potential sponsors will enjoy exposure to their customers and potential customers. It is thus safe to predict that the clubs in the league would in the near future become brands in their own right, strong enough to attract organisations to sponsor their paraphernalia such as jerseys. Clubs could start investing in building a fan base, deepening their franchise, and generally make themselves more attractive.
It is almost impossible to imagine sports without television. The growth of the English Premier League in Nigeria, just as it is in many other countries, is tied directly to TV broadcast. While attending matches physically has its inherent enjoyment and satisfaction, TV broadcast however extends this enjoyment to fans that cannot be physically present in arenas to watch their teams play.
It is against this background that the value MultiChoice brings to the DStv Premier Basketball League is appreciated. Coupled with the sponsorship fee, it is indeed a great developmental initiative which has long term benefits for the growth of basketball in Nigeria.

For the very first time in Ugandan basketball, a team coming from the lower division could change the fate of Premier League basketball. City Oilers are only a two year old basketball Team but they’re backed by liquid. The Oilers sponsored by City Oil, a petroleum distribution giant started out in 3rd Division in 2011, fielding several veteran players. With this cast, they managed to make it to 2nd Division in second place after losing the final to Bushcourt. In Division 2, they transformed into a Team full of experience as well as fire with the inclusion of senior players like Mandy Juruni and Ronnie Kalule as well some young and athletic players like James Okello and Christopher Ouma. They consequently went ahead to win the Division 2 title in 2012, defeating arch rivals Bushcourt and Rhinos at the semis and finals respectively.
In a players market that is as dynamic as the Ugandan one, Teams are already in crises. Truth be told, many teams in Uganda – even the finest ones struggle to put off players’ allowances. This is the most outstanding justification for players moving from one team to the next in a span of one season or two.
But how about when they’re approached by a Team that’s likely to meet its contractual obligations?!
Already, Basketball256 has received unconfirmed reports that the Oilers have received the signature of Bienvenue Ngandu from Rwanda’s Espoir. The center played for Falcons in 2010 but abandoned the team towards playoffs citing unpaid wages. They’re reports that the Oilers are also finishing off the deal with Norman Blick very soon amid very many other alleged talks with some of Uganda’s elite players.
I personally had a chat with Mandy Juruni – the former Warriors Championship coach whose contract expired at the end of last season about a possible move to City Oil, this time as Head Coach. He mentioned that he’s out of contract at Warriors but was keen not to admit he’s already put pen to paper at City Oil.
Backed by loads of cash, the Oilers are poised to have an absolute advantage in the players market this pre season and it’s quite guaranteed that they’ll get the players they want though we remain to see who they bring on board and if the cast they finally come up with can actually go all the way to claim the Championship.
By Cucu Brian

Women’s champions Anse Etoile Stars and Premium Cobras collected easy wins at the weekend, while MBU Rockers rebounded from two consecutive losses to PLS Hawks to edge Baya.

In the men’s division one, Premium Cobras outscored RC Dynamics by 30 points to claim a 79-49 win. Dan Come led the scoring for Cobras with 16 points, Amadou Sylla added 15 and Michael Jean chipped in with 12 as they outscored Dynamics in all four quarters – 22-15, 22-12, 21-9 and 14-13.
Keneth Domingue led the Dynamics with 16 points.

This was Premium Cobras’ second win in as many matches after edging Angels 66-63 in their first game, while Dynamics suffered a second loss in a row after losing 43-66 to Baya in their first game.
Ervin Agathine netted 13 of his game-high 21 points in the final quarter but they weren’t enough to prevent Drifters from losing 58-73 to Mont Fleuri Dawgz.
The Dawgz, who dominated the first three quarters 18-14, 27-14 and 12-9 before losing the fourth 16-21, were led by Sergio Ah-Kong and Steven André with 11 points apiece.
Anse Boileau-based Drifters have now lost their second game in a row after losing 68-89 to Beau Vallon Heat in their first match.
The game between Baya and MBU Rockers was a very tight affair and the Rockers eventually won by a mere two points. The final score was 71-69 as the Rockers celebrated their first win in the league following an 83-91 loss to defending champions PLS Hawks in their first game.
Pascal Bibi had the hot hands for the Rockers with 20 points, while Daniel Hoareau scored 16 and playmaker Nigel Sinon added 14.
Centre Timmy Adam scored 15 points for Baya who had three other players – Dave Roseline, Faizel Naiken and Alex Baron – finishing with 10 points each.

Meanwhile, in the men’s second division, Razors cruised past Wolf 89-48 winning all four quarters in the process, while AAP Brothers lost to Cascade Bullets on a 45-66 score.

In the women’s league, Simone Malbrook and Magdeline Julienne scored 15 points each to help Anse Etoile Stars earn a 102-29 victory over Juniors.
Reigning female player of the year Jana Malbrook added 13 points for defending champions Stars who have already won the Curtain-raiser title this year.
The Stars dominated all four quarters 30-6, 21-9, 30-5 and 23-9.

The match of the day – Sunday – though was between HotShots and Mont Fleuri. HotShots battled hard in the final two quarters to outscore the Mont Fleurians 37-33, but their opponents had already done the damage in the first half which they won 38-18 (20-12 and 18-6).

The final score was 71-55 in favour of Mont Fleuri who were led in scoring by Lindy Morel and Agnes Bristol with 16 and 14 points respectively.
Sheriffa Agathine led HotShots in scoring with a game-high 24 points.

S. N.

Monrovia - What a game it was at the Sports Commission on Broad Street when Mighty Barrolle handed sensational LPRC Oilers their first defeat of the 2013 season on April 21.
The Red Boys pepped the Oil Boys by just a point--68 to 67 in a tense but thrilling first division encounter.
Barrolle coach Asad Fadel, with three foreign imports, won the first quarter by 12 to 10 points. With his traditional mentality of regularly shifting his first five, Oilers coach Paul Houlsen won the second quarter by 16 to 11 points.
Back from the break, Barrolle won the third quarter by 25 to 20 points before losing the last quarter by 20 to 21 points.
Kolontia Yamouna Camara, one of two Guineans and weighing 195 pounds at six feet and six inches, scored 30 points while Nigerian Joseph Light Omyemachie had six points.
Guinea's Donacien Camara combined with his West African brothers to keep the court slippery for Oilers and their three dunks thrilled spectators.
Anyone who may have predicted a win for Barrolle could have done so on sentiments but the Red Boys defied all odds in inflicting Oilers' first defeat over seven games.
And it was Barrolle's third straight win since losing 59 to 67 points to NPA Pythons on March 15.
Earlier, K-Deltas whipped Phoenix by 74 to 34 points in a female chase and Desert Knights narrowly beat Sac-Base by 64 to 61 points.
On April 20, Uhuru Prince lost to Georgia Blazers by 49 to 57 points in game one; Commissioners beat Supreme Sisters by 50 to 31 points and Monrovia Sky Force went down to Timberwolves by 45 to 52 in the first division.
On April 19, Desert Ladies white-washed Angel Shooters by 82 to 35 points; C-Deltas dumped Phoenix by 63 to 29 points and Pythons regained confidence by beating SOS Trotters by 83 to 48 points in the first division.
It was Pythons' third straight win since they surprisingly lost by 45 to 48 points to Sky Force on April 14. The league continued on April 22 with Matadi Knights forfeiting to Kardinals zero to 20 points while Uhuru Prince woefully disgraced Supreme Brothers by 104 to 30 points.
The first quarter ended six to 24 points and eight to 23 points in the second quarter.
The third quarter ended five to 26 points and 11 to 31 points in the last quarter. Game three between Bardnersville Celtics and Desert Knights was in progress when our reporter left for base.

It is going to be a trying season for the Federation Of Uganda Basketball Association (FUBA) after it announced changes in the way the hoops' leagues will be played.
First of all the top flight basketball league for both men and women has been renamed to National Basketball League (NBL), a second tier for women with eight teams has been formed and together with what has been known as second division for men will be called the first division and the men's former third division will now be called the development league (D-League).
The National Basketball League will be managed and marketed differently from the first division and D-League, Ali Balunwya the federation's publicist revealed.
Another notable change is the federation allowing Universities teams to host their home games against other University teams in their backyards. Changes were also made in the D-League playing format with four subdivisions called conferences established; these teams will face off, four times a season with the top two playing in a playoff to get the promoted.
Uganda Christian University, Nkumba University, Ndejje University, Kampala International University and Kampala University are some of the universities with teams playing league basketball at different levels.
This move is aimed at popularizing the sport and allows communities associate with the sport, Sande Manano, the competitions council chairman said.
However FUBA said that NBL will maintain the regular season and playoffs, also two teams will be demoted to first division and two will be promoted to NBl after playing the first and second rounds.
The federation secured a sponsorship deal with telecom firm airtel for the NBL but has kept details to themselves. Balunywa was tightlipped on who will be bankrolling the first division and D-League.

THERE was no pomp or ceremony to mark the start of the 2013 National Basketball League (NBL) season at Lugogo on Friday.
So it was left to the two opening matches to provide all the action, and they offered enough to wet the appetite ahead of the new campaign.
The men's clash between D'Mark Power and City Oil was the more tantalising affair, ending 68-65 in favour of the five-time champions, who debuted their classy white and gold outfit.
Joseph Ikong dropped a game-high 17 points for Power and Paul Odong added 14 on his top-flight debut.
Odong took a leap of faith to shift his young and promising career from Division 1 Bush Court, where he was the talisman for the last two seasons, but his display suggested a bright Power future ahead.
"My team-mates gave me confidence and kept on encouraging me to play," the guard remnarked after the match.
Also making his Power debut (a third one to be precise) was Ken Balyegusa, keen to revive a career that was derailed by injury.
Balyegusa (who made two points) is still way out of shape but they say class is permanent.
City Oil intends to become a permanent member at the high table of local men's hoops and their NBL debut went well despite the defeat.
Andrew Opio sunk a game-high 18 points, Jimmy Enabu added 14 and Yusuf Mohammed 11 for Mandy Juruni's side, which will get much stronger once they complete the acquisition of Ramadan Arur and Kami Kabange.
Meanwhile, Martha Soigi scored a game-high 22 points while Claire Lamono made 20 points on her debut as the KCCA Leopards thumped A1 Challenge 76-60.
Barbara Okot and Olivia Mulwana made 19 and 11 respectively for A1.

Zetech College rose to raid persistent Equity Bank 71-60 in a Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men’s Division One league played at Nyayo stadium on Sunday.
Joshua Okumu and Brain Simiyu contributed 14 and 13 points to the students as Godfrey Abuya sunk 12 for the bankers.
Both teams had a balance of force in the initial quarter which ended 15-15. Equity then rose in the second to win 18-14 to take the lead in the breather.
On sensing danger, Zetech College head coach Job Munene pumped his charges with secrets that saw them dazzle on resumption, winning the third quarter 18-12 and the last one with a whooping 30-9.
“I changed our tactical approach in the half but what aided our win was good coordination among my players, they were receptive,” Munene said.
Munene confided to FeverPitch that they suffered an 82-38 loss to Umoja on Saturday due to overconfidence by his charges.
“My players became bombastic following our first win against Parklands Baptist,” added Munene.
WINNING WAYS
Equity coach Radhi Ndalu is hopeful his side, that so far has won three matches, will be back to winning ways this weekend as they face off with Parklands Baptist.
Blazing Umoja proved a hard nut to crack when they met Parklands in the category. Umoja ultimately won 51-36 after registering a 22-14 lead at the breather.
Women’s champions Eagle Wings continued to soar with a 67-41 win against Co-op Bank in the women Premier League.
Ever green Samba Mjomba and new signing Vilma Achieng aided Eagle Wings to victory with 27 and ten points. Co-op Bank had Eleanor Musundi with 11 points.
Strathmore University overcame Mennonites 68-40  as Lions edged Ulinzi 84-73 in the men’s Premier League.
BARCLAYS VALOUR
Barclays Bank of Kenya (BBK) Eagles flew past Our Lady Queen of Peace with 48-22 win in a Nairobi Basketball Association match played at Railway club with Neville Ogutu shooting 20 points for the Eagles and John Murumba had 10 for the losers.
Mount Kenya University (MKU) Nairobi campus stunned Old Pirates 57-48 as Roy Onyango shot 23 points. Pirates missed the services of red hot Mannah Otieno as he called the shots for the students. He left the task for Alvin Ali who had 12.
MKU, Thika campus who lacked height surprisingly won 50-37 against Dankind Academy behind 12 points from Gaston Simidi.
Legacy nipped Daystar University 48-41 as Lameck Ombuya made 11 for the winners and David Julius had ten for the student side.
Brian Amanya and Patrick Naiser scored ten points each to guide Neosasa Morans to a 60-40 win over CFC Bank who had Peter Njongi collecting a game high 33 points.
In the ladies ties, BBK Eaglets won 48-33 over reigning champs Strathmore University as Ulinzi Blades blanked Daystar University 74-20 with Bridgit Nanzala bagging 27 for the soldiers.

Union Bank Basketball Club of Lagos on Saturday defeated their city rival, Comets, 76-43, in a ceremonial match played at the National Stadium, Lagos, to herald the 2012/2013 men's league season.
The match was jointly organised by the Nigerian Basketball Federation and the league sponsors, Multichoice Nigeria Plc.
Union Bank dominated the match right from the blast of the whistle and won each of the four quarters of the match.
Coach Johnson Ayinla of Union Bank said after the match that his team was just warming up for the league scheduled to start on April 26.
"Although, this is a warm up match, our best is yet to come. We are determined to put in our beast when the league starts. We played good today, but it was still below our standard. We have to do better than this if we are to win the championship. Comets did not pose any treat after the first quarter, perhaps they are yet to really blend as a team," he said.
Coach of Comets, Ayo Bakare, admitted that his team played below expectations in the match.
Bakare, however, assured that his team had talented young and old players who could outplay any team in the coming season.
"We approached the game well enough in the first quarter but later allowed Union Bank to dominate and seize control of the match. We allowed many unforced turnovers and lost several chances at scoring and totally lost grip of the game," he said.
Olumide Oyedeji, Nigerian International and captain of the senior national team, who watched the match, expressed happiness that the DSTV men's league had resumed.
"I am delighted the new season has resumed after eight months of no actions. This is where we groom our home-based players and also develop the quality of the game at home. I look forward to seeing these great athletes play," he said.
Oyedeji, currently with Tochigi Brex, a club in Japanese League, also expressed his desire to come back home soon to end his career.
NAN reports that actions will resume in the 2012/2013 league season on April 26 in three venues across the nation: Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja.

The Eastern Conference final of the 2013 Milo Basketball championships comes up later today at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu. Bayelsa and Rivers states who have been very impressive in the tournament will clash in the finals.
In the Boys category, Bayelsa defeated Enugu 30-21 yesterday to scale through to the final while Rivers beat Anambra 56-45 points in the second semi final clash to qualify. In the Girls category, Bayelsa who defeated Rivers state 64-15 will clash with Abia state
Meanwhile,Coach of Beyelsa teams, Tony Tounarigha has applauded the sponsor of the tournament, Nestle , saying it will help in the development of basketball talents in the country.
"I am really impressed with what i am seeing in this tournament and i am grateful to the sponsor. We came here with the determination to make our state proud and we will do our best to emerge the best", he said

By Gloria Kyomugisha
Men
Warriors 94 Miracle 28
Power 68 City Oil 65
Women
Stormers 101 Nabisunsa 50
Leopards 76 A1 Challenge 60
DEFENDING champions Warriors handed Miracle Eagles a rough start to the National Basketball League with a 94-28 whitewash of the Eagles, Sunday at Lugogo Indoor Stadium.
Both teams have unfamiliar line-ups after losing several players during the transfer season the game ended by the close of the first quarter.
Despite talk of early retirement, Ivan Enabu returned to the Warriors camp at took charge of scoring duties.
The quick, versatile guard scored a game-high 21points to lift the defending champions who are still regrouping after losing some of their star players in Norman Blick, Cyrus Kiviri and Micheal Kariuki.
Henry Malinga contributed 17points, 20 rebounds with Ronnie Kasewu adding 18 points for the Warriors whose campaign to retain the league title started on a high note.
After losing half of the team in the post-season transfer trade, Miracle Eagles presented a lightweight squad and were duly punished by the champions.
There is little time for Miracle to dwell on their heavy 66 point loss. They take on newcomers City Oil on April 28.
In the women's encounter, Magic Stormers rallying behind Carol Nyafwono's 28 points obliterated Nabisunsa 101-50 in an earlier match.

Nairobi; Kenya; Kenya College of Accountancy University (KCA-U) teams posted mixed results in the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) leagues played at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi yesterday.
KCA-U men won 56-40 against Little Prince in the Division One league as their women counterparts went down 24-58 against Storms in the Premier league.
KCA-U had a brief scare in the first quarter going down 6-10 to Little Prince but managed to rise and lead in the remaining quarters 15-6, 11-10 and 24-14 with the help of Gerald Mwangi who scored 18 points as Victor Okoth managed 13 for the losers.
Yesterday’s loss was the second straight one in a row for Little Prince, who commenced their new league category on a silver platter, picking two all important points against the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) who could not constitute a team last month. Little Prince lost 49-69 to Equity Bank in their second league encounter.
“My players have not been training due to the heavy rains and lack of training venue. We used to train at NPC Woodley, unfortunately the gymnasium was taken by the church that now has a team in the Nairobi Basketball Association (NBA) league this season,” said Little Prince coach Maurice Kobi.
Kobi, who is ferociously looking for a sponsor to secure for his team a training ground, said the other reason as to why they lost to KCA-U was due to the absence of his four key new players Malek Lino, Mogambi Mawira, Clifford Gatonye and Tony Mwenda, who had work commitments.
KCA-U coach Charles Goro is a happy man as far as the standings in the men’s Division One league is concerned.
Goro so far has maintained a clean sheet in the men category following his other wins against Parklands Baptist and World Hope.
“We were technically superior for Little Prince who did their best to give us a run for our money. We congratulate them for the effort displayed,” said Goro.
According to Goro, his men have a tough task next weekend as they have been lined up by KBF to tackle the resurgent KAA and Umoja in their next fixtures.
“We are embarking on a tough training programme this coming week, we lost to KAA in the second leg last year and I am not ready for such a repeat,” said Goro.

Upper Hill secondary school will be seeking their first ever Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association national basketball title when they clash with 2010 champions Maseno High in today's final.
Upper Hill, representing Metropolitan humiliated hosts Mang'u 72-29 in yesterday's semi-final.
Uppe Hill won all the sets of the one-sided encounter with their opponents failing to grab a double digit score in any.
The Nairobi Centre of Excellence side set the tone for their romp with a 21-8 score in the first, 21-6 in the second to be 42-14 leaders at the break. Mang'u showed resilience in the third, falling narrowly 10-7 before succumbing to a 20-8 whipping in the last.
Maseno beat Friends School Kamusinga 64-35 as they intensified their hunt for a triple of titless after winning in 2005 and 2010.
Maseno won the first quarter 18-11, the second 16-6 to go into the break 34-14.
Kamusinga rallied back into the game with a 13-11 win in the third set but could not break Maseno's resolve, falling 19-5 in the last.
Buru Buru Girls will be seeking to dethrone reigning champions Shimba Hills of Mombasa in the girls basketball final. Buru Buru beat Bahati of Nakuru 66-33 while Shimba thrashed St. Brigids 109-39

Luanda — The senior males basketball team of Petro de Luanda won the 2013 edition of Angola cup, after beating Recreativo do Libolo by 96-94, in the second leg match of the final.
In the first leg match, played on Tuesday, Petro de Luanda had already defeated their opponent by 107-118.

LEAGUE leaders Thunder tackle Nakuru Club in a premier league basketball show at Menengai High School, Nakuru on Sunday.
Led by Griffin Ligare, Aleu Dhol and Sammy Kirya the self sponsored Thunder are on a roll winning three of their matches played so far. Joseph Okerio, the Nakuru Club main point getter will have his hands full at home. Blazers, who have won match and loss the other entertain Nairobi Aviation (NAC) who have yet to win any of their two matches so far played. This tie could go either way. Abel Nson the Blazers new signing will battle against Ben Oluoch.
The women matches will see Angela Luchivya's Sprite Storms play Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA) University while multi talented Co-operative Bank of Kenya led by Irene Makori meet Mennonites. Champions Eagle Wings have a date with Co-op Bank in what is clearly the game of the week. National team stars Samba Mjomba and Silalei Shani against Irene Makori and Emma Nyakweba. United States International University (USIU) play Strathmore University who are still smarting from their loss to Storms last week. The lower division matches will see KCA meet Little Princs, World Hope face Trailblazers, Umoja confront Zetech College, Parklands Baptists meet Umoja with Equity taking on Zetech

Upper Hill School from Nairobi Metropolitan beat 2010 Kenya Secondary School basketball champions Maseno from the Lake region 74-43 to finish top of Pool "A" at the ongoing Brookside national games at Mang'u High yesterday.
Upper Hill sounded their intent right from the start as they rallied to a 23-10 advantage in the first quarter.
Maseno had themselves to blame after missing a glut of chances. The script was somewhat the same in the second but the free scoring tendency of Upper Hill was dimmed despite running away 8-5 winners.
Upper Hill, a national centre of excellence, exerted their dominance as they went 33-15 up in into the break.
Maseno put up a spirited fight in the third quarter as they tried to rally back into the game, clawing a 14-14 score to trail 47-29.
Sensing danger, Upper Hill - who play in the Kenya Basketball League and coached by national coach Ronnie Owino - intensified their offence, hitting a massive 26 points against Maseno's 15 in the final quarter.
Francis Muthui had a game high score of 21 for Maseno while Upper Hill, who are hunting for their maiden title, had Joseph Ongoro as their top scorer with 19.
Despite the loss, Maseno progressed to the semis since they had already won their first two matches against Shimba and Kapsabet.
Shimba Hills beat Kapasabet 77-36 in the other pool "A" formality encounter. Shimba won all the quarters 21-13, 15-9, 13-10 and 26-4 to take the bronze medal.

Lions and Ulinzi Warriors are set to clash in a surprise Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men’s Premier League fixture this weekend.
Both teams got the sudden cut-throat fixture from the KBF officials in the course of this week.
While Lions will be seeking a third straight win for the season in the match, Ulinzi will be out to get their maiden win after suffering a heavy defeat against Kenya Ports Authority (100-70) on an away fixture in Mombasa last month.
Lions who won their two fixtures against Nairobi Aviation and Blazers said they are leaving nothing to chance for the wounded Ulinzi.
“Right now we are perfecting on our rebounding and also working on our defensive skills. We are out to win this match,” said Ancette Wafula, Lions captain.
Lions who still have no sponsors, were this week blessed by a volunteer doctor. Ulinzi coach Eliud Nzioka initially had written to KBF to postpone the fixture terming it unacceptable but having left with no option he has decided to tackle the Lions head on.
“I am encouraging my charges to psyche up, we lost our season opening match but this one we will strive to win,” Nzioka said.
Ulinzi did not sign up any new players for the season and coach Nzioka is optimistic some of the old players will come back to link with the club in the course of the league.

National Basketball League
Women: KCCA v A1 (5.30pm)
Men: Power v City Oil (7.30pm)
FUBA have plans to make 2013 a landmark season for Ugandan basketball. City Oil have spent the money to ensure they make their own mark on the campaign.
City Oil make the debut of their debut season at the highest level of Ugandan basketball against D'Mark Power today at the MTN Arena and few will be surprised if they walk away with a victory.
Last year's FUBA men's division two champions have splashed the cash to put together a team that will not only guarantee their survival at the big stage but one that could see them contend for the title ahead of a season of significant changes.
Like the name of the FUBA men and women's first division, which has now been changed to the National Basketball League (NBL).
For a team with no history at top level of FUBA men's basketball, City Oil's participation on such a historic night may not sit well with some local hoops traditionalists.
But, if it is any consolation, City Oil's arrival on the big stage is only going to add to the quality of the NBL, what with all the good players they have signed.
Unfortunately, Kami Kabange and Ramadam Arur had not yet been cleared to take part in today's match by press time.
Similarly, Power had not completed the re-signing of Norman Blick from the Kyambogo Warriors by press time although it seems a matter of when not if that deal will be done.
Power were stunned at the quarters in last year's playoffs and are hoping the return of Norman, who helped them win the 2010 title, will boost their hunt for a record-tying six championship.
Meanwhile, the prodigious Claire Lamono is in line for her KCCA Leopards' debut as the reigning women's champions face A1 Challenge in the day's opening game.
Lamono left the Gladiators in the preseason following an impressive showing in February's Afrobasket Zone Five Championship in Tanzania

Ahead of tonight's season opener between newcomers City Oilers and 2011 champions Dmark Power at the Lugogo Indoor arena this evening, Felix Eupal gives a lowdown and prospects of the men's top division teams.
Dmark Power:
After a disastrous 2013 season in which they were knocked out at the quarterfinal stage, the 2010/11 champions brought back prodigal son Norman Blick in a move meant to restore their pride and championship challenge. Blick led them to the 2010 championship. Power has also elected Joseph Ikong as team captain with Ben Komaketch as his assistant. On top of that, they have acquired the services of Paul Odong from Bush Court, Derrick Mbusi from Heaters and Daniel Owogi from St Michael. On the other hand, Power also offloaded Collins Mukiza, Jimmy Enabu and Richard Balemwa.
City Oilers:
The league debutants made quite a statement when they won the 2013 edition of the UCU Basketball Open last month despite just one week of practice. It's their third year in existence and they have already progressed each year. Their target is to win the league in five years. As for this season, they have set the bar at making the playoffs. To achieve that, they signed point guard Yusuf Ramathan from Miracle, Jimmy Enabu from Power, Arou Ramadan from Kenya's USIU and last year's winning coach Mandy Juruni.
UCU Canons:
Ask any Canons fan and they will tell you they have waited enough for a championship but all in vain. They will also tell you that this year; they are ready to get the monkey off their backs. Canons have never failed to make playoffs since joining topflight in 2007. Their biggest undoing, however, is losing players at the end of every season and having to rebuild a new team each year.
This season, they don't have such worries, having only lost Robert Ogweno. They have beefed up their squad by bringing back Sam Lukaire from junior side UCU JV. In addition, they have improved their back court with the services of forward Ivan Lumanyika from Miracle and improved on the front court by adding point guard Cyrus Kiviri from Warriors as well as Jonathan Egau from Kings. Ndejje Angels:
Last year, the university side made the playoffs and has kept the same team. In a bid to go a step better, they signed Francis Tumusiime and Brian Ssentogo from Falcons plus Dixon Ayega from Heaters. By press time, they were on the verge of signing Stephen Okias from Warriors.
Galaxy Falcons:
The six-time champions have been silent in preseason and the only news from their camp was the acquisition of a new sponsor in form of Galaxy Fm. That's why they are now called Galaxy Falcons. However, they lost Ssentogo, Tumusiime, Julius Lutwama and Edwin Kateregga. At the moment, they are in talks with Heaters' Moses Okwera, Power rejects Balemwa and Mukiza.
Kyambogo Warriors:
Can defending champions Warriors do it again? Most probably not. That's the answer most pundits will give you due to the fact that they lost several key players like Blick, Kiviri and coach Juruni. Emma Samanya, who has been assistant coach for some time, has been elevated to head coach. Other teams like KIU Titans, Miracle Eagles, Vic Heaters, Charging Rhinos, Nkumba Marines and Vegetarians remain tightlipped about any new developments.