Charles Mutebi
27 December 2008
Kampala — THE 2008 season was, without any undue exaggeration, as eventful as local basketball has ever had.
First, there was the local U-18 girls' team taking part in the African championships in Tunisia, the first side to represent Uganda at such an elite level.
Then, there was the league sponsors MTN's commitment to renovate the Lugogo Indoor Stadium which will give players and fans alike a new and exciting ball experience.
MTN's decision coincided with an initiative by the sports governing body FUBA to rebuild the Wandegeya court.
Later, the post season saw a thrilling climax as Sadolin Power and the UCU Lady Canons won the men's and ladies' championships respectively.
All of that leaves 2009 highly anticipated as another year in which the sport should increase its influence on the domestic sports calendar.
At the the U-18 event, there was little to praise about the team achievements or the way in which their trip was arranged.
FUBA's pre-tournament preparations were shambolic, initially taking a team of six before flying in the seventh and last player two games into the tournament.
FUBA were short of money for an ideal build-up so it came as no surprise when the team suffered an early exit.
Nevertheless, the girls' achievement's place in the bigger picture of local basketball should not be overlooked.
For in February 2009, the senior men's national team will take part in qualifiers for the respective African championships and will need all the inspiration they can get for that daunting task.
In the meantime, it remains to be seen how the renovated Lugogo and Wandegeya courts will appear but it's certain they will not be left in a similarly inappropriate condition. The season left the sport no other option than to look forward.
The highly attended playoffs prompted FUBA to add two games to both the semi-final and final series.
A best of seven-series-final will present amateur players with a new challenge but FUBA felt it had little choice after seeing many fans reach the end of the season unsatisfied.
Of course, much of that was the result of Power's thrilling 3-1 finals series victory over the Mogas Falcons.
Power's third championship was as deserved as it was exhilarating.
Led by Isaac Afidra, Joseph Ikong and MVP Ben Komakech Power overwhelmed a Falcons side that had not changed since winning the 2007 league crown.
Under more dramatic conditions, the Canons won the ladies league -- their maiden --- in just their second year thanks largely to MVP Flavia Okecho, forward Francis Nabulobi and centre Lorraine Akinyi's brilliant performances.
The Knight Riders and Ndejje Angels will spend 2009 in the top flight after replacing the relegated Gulu Hawks and Crane high.
What happens to those lowly clubs hereafter may not be very captivating but they played their part in a memorable 2008.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
