Uganda’s Junior Basketball Teams Gear Up for FIBA U16 Africa Championship
The Junior Silverbacks (boys) and Junior Gazelles (girls) basketball teams from Uganda gear up for FIBA U16 Africa Championship. The team received training and support from FUBA before being flagged off for the competition. The goal is to perform well and secure a spot in the World Championships for the following year. The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the FIBA U17 World Championship.
The Junior Silverbacks (boys) and Junior Gazelles (girls), two teams from the Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (FUBA), will compete at the FIBA U16 Africa Championship in Monastir, Tunisia, from July 13–23.
The teams trained at the YMCA, Wandegeya, and Nakasero Primary School fields before being flagged off on Wednesday at the National Council of Sports complex in Lugogo. The workshops have been run by instructors Michael Seger and John Omondi and their group of assistant coaches.
At first, there were doubts regarding FUBA’s capacity to assist the teams throughout the competition. These concerns were allayed, however, when FUBA declared its participation and pledged their support for the teams. The teams will fly Emirates Airlines to Monastir on July 12, 2023. Their goal is to be among the top teams in order to earn a spot in the World Championships for the next year.
Additionally, this tournament will act as a qualifying event for the FIBA U17 World Championship in 2024. Both the Boys’ and Girls’ category winners and runners-up will be guaranteed participation in the World Cup. The Boys’ team won the FIBA U16 Zone Five qualification event held in Kigali, Rwanda, last month, which earned them a spot in the competition.
The women’s team qualified by placing fourth in the previous FIBA U16 Africa Championship held in Egypt. The Boys will compete in the competition for the second time after making their debut in the Egypt-hosted 2021 edition. In contrast, the Junior Gazelles, who placed sixth in Rwanda in 2019 and fourth in Tunisia in 2021, will take part for the third time.
Hudson Ssegamwenge, the general secretary of FUBA, expressed confidence in the ability of the Ugandan teams and said that the players now feel they belong on the major stage as a result of their performance in the qualifiers in Kigali. Ssegamwenge stated, “I am optimistic that the teams will qualify for the U17 global championships due next year.
