Basketball in Africa

KAMPALA. KIU Titans know that it’s beating City Oilers in December that matters the most to achieve their lofty ambitions of breaking basketball’s status quo.
For that to happen, the positive vibe around the Kansanga-based university side could be a key building block. No wonder beating Oilers meant much more than just lifting the inaugural KIU Open on Sunday.
A mammoth crowd turned up for the two-day event that saw the hosts edge two-time defending national basketball champions 67-61 in the final.
This thriller, flung open by Norman Blick’s back-to-back three-pointers in the fourth quarter, had intensity fitting of a decisive Game Seven in the finals.
Of course, Oilers are more familiar with that. But so is Blick, a six-time national champion and four-time Most Valuable Player (MVP.
The game was tied at 59-up when Blick pulled up to create daylight.
The off-season signing for Tiger Head Power was the difference after Chris Omanye’s 18 had kept them ahead.
“This is a good start,” Hamza Nyambogo, himself new to the KIU coaching job, told Daily Monitor. “We have only worked together for three weeks.”
Fans saw much more than just a start, they saw a giant step in the journey having beaten Oilers twice, the first a group clash on Saturday.
The court became a dance floor when the final buzzer was sounded.
By the time ex-Ndejje University Angels’ forward Geoffrey Soro picked the tournament MVP plaque, the murmurs were too loud to be ignored.
Will KIU actually last the distance to challenge for the title? Four in two days couldn’t provide sufficient answers.