Organisation
For a tournament that started amid confusion and complaints, the organizers through Zuku TV outdid themselves in the way they organized the games. Traversing the universities to ensure that participants had a change of venue and crowd from Makerere to Ndejje and then to UCU spiced up the event with the floodlight games. The organizers also ensured to have entertainment with musicians, with Bebe Cool performing at the Saturday evening.
Of course the cherry on the cake was the cash prizes with the winner walking away with Shs 2.5m that is Shs 500,000 short of the money that Fuba league champion walks away with for winning a league that takes eight months.
The university league took nine weeks.
Participation
It was very unfortunate that Nkumba University and Kampala International University refused to take part in the tournament citing a number of reasons with stakeholder participation taking centre stage but having ten universities is a good way to start.
Penina Kabenge, the league's proprietor, says: "The intention is to see the numbers grow next year and so far KIU and Nkumba will be on board and we are spreading it to East Africa".
Ndejje's merry run
Walker Obedi, the Ndejje University head coach, joked after the final whistle that the victory reminded him of Arsenal's 2004-05 season when the team went unbeaten because his charges also did the same.
In the eight league games and four conference match-ups, Obedi had his grip around the title; commanding his front court which did most of the damage. The writing is on the wall, Obedi has tremendously improved as a coach and Ndejje after making two straight trips to the Fuba playoffs stopping at the quarter finals expects to go a notch higher this season.
Fantastic win for Makerere University
Women's basketball is not considered that fun and with UCU Lady Canons dominating of the women top-flight league, many expected the same script when Makerere University women's team made the final to face them.
However, everything changed, the Lady Canons were outwitted, outsmarted and out-fought as Makerere responded to everything they pushed at it winning the game 90-87. The game had everything one would want from final; the thrills, the intensity, the crazy moments with Lady Canons coach Boniface Okello losing head and being ejected from the arena.
Even the star duo of Maureen Amoding and Purity Odhiambo couldn't match up to Makerere's Claire Lamunu who walked away with the MVP gong and the supporting cast of Sylvia Nakazibwe and Joy Chemutai. This is a Makerere side that is promising to shake up things in the league.
News stars
Every tournament breeds a new prospect to look up to and this time round, it was Ndejje University shooting guard Jonah Otim, who emerged the men's MVP. He might not have had a big say in the final as he was outscored by James Okello but he oozed class all the way.
But his transformation and offensive play are the reason Ndejje went unbeaten. With the league heating up, Otim's power drives in the paint will come in handy. The other player that has been transformed into a lethal asset is Austin Deng, also a centre with Ndejje. His ability to clear up the boards was very fundamental.
Women's basketball is not considered that fun and with UCU Lady Canons dominating of the women top-flight league, many expected the same script when Makerere University women's team made the final to face them.
However, everything changed, the Lady Canons were outwitted, outsmarted and out-fought as Makerere responded to everything they pushed at it winning the game 90-87. The game had everything one would want from final; the thrills, the intensity, the crazy moments with Lady Canons coach Boniface Okello losing head and being ejected from the arena.
Even the star duo of Maureen Amoding and Purity Odhiambo couldn't match up to Makerere's Claire Lamunu who walked away with the MVP gong and the supporting cast of Sylvia Nakazibwe and Joy Chemutai. This is a Makerere side that is promising to shake up things in the league.
News stars
Every tournament breeds a new prospect to look up to and this time round, it was Ndejje University shooting guard Jonah Otim, who emerged the men's MVP. He might not have had a big say in the final as he was outscored by James Okello but he oozed class all the way.
But his transformation and offensive play are the reason Ndejje went unbeaten. With the league heating up, Otim's power drives in the paint will come in handy. The other player that has been transformed into a lethal asset is Austin Deng, also a centre with Ndejje. His ability to clear up the boards was very fundamental.
Fantastic win for Makerere University
Women's basketball is not considered that fun and with UCU Lady Canons dominating of the women top-flight league, many expected the same script when Makerere University women's team made the final to face them.
However, everything changed, the Lady Canons were outwitted, outsmarted and out-fought as Makerere responded to everything they pushed at it winning the game 90-87. The game had everything one would want from final; the thrills, the intensity, the crazy moments with Lady Canons coach Boniface Okello losing head and being ejected from the arena.
Even the star duo of Maureen Amoding and Purity Odhiambo couldn't match up to Makerere's Claire Lamunu who walked away with the MVP gong and the supporting cast of Sylvia Nakazibwe and Joy Chemutai. This is a Makerere side that is promising to shake up things in the league.
News stars
Every tournament breeds a new prospect to look up to and this time round, it was Ndejje University shooting guard Jonah Otim, who emerged the men's MVP. He might not have had a big say in the final as he was outscored by James Okello but he oozed class all the way.
But his transformation and offensive play are the reason Ndejje went unbeaten. With the league heating up, Otim's power drives in the paint will come in handy. The other player that has been transformed into a lethal asset is Austin Deng, also a centre with Ndejje. His ability to clear up the boards was very fundamental.
Women's basketball is not considered that fun and with UCU Lady Canons dominating of the women top-flight league, many expected the same script when Makerere University women's team made the final to face them.
However, everything changed, the Lady Canons were outwitted, outsmarted and out-fought as Makerere responded to everything they pushed at it winning the game 90-87. The game had everything one would want from final; the thrills, the intensity, the crazy moments with Lady Canons coach Boniface Okello losing head and being ejected from the arena.
Even the star duo of Maureen Amoding and Purity Odhiambo couldn't match up to Makerere's Claire Lamunu who walked away with the MVP gong and the supporting cast of Sylvia Nakazibwe and Joy Chemutai. This is a Makerere side that is promising to shake up things in the league.
News stars
Every tournament breeds a new prospect to look up to and this time round, it was Ndejje University shooting guard Jonah Otim, who emerged the men's MVP. He might not have had a big say in the final as he was outscored by James Okello but he oozed class all the way.
But his transformation and offensive play are the reason Ndejje went unbeaten. With the league heating up, Otim's power drives in the paint will come in handy. The other player that has been transformed into a lethal asset is Austin Deng, also a centre with Ndejje. His ability to clear up the boards was very fundamental.
