It requires memory rather than imagination to believe that Riham (or should i say Kyambogo) Warriors, a season ago, were champions. Warriors are off their worst start to a season in as far as I (may be we) can remember. Two losses in three, playing awful basketball with no sense of “urgency” according to the team head coach Gad Eteu.
Making fans go bonkers game in game out had almost become part of Warriors folklore. We haven’t seen that in any of the three games Warriors have played. Instead of excellently threaded smart passes ending up with a bucket, all we have seen are turnovers from bad passes and poor handles. I’m not shying away from Sedar Sagamba’s efforts. All I’m saying is we would have loved to celebrate Sagamba’s big start to the season, but the rest of the warriors have been anaemic on D&O that they have diminished the young guard’s output. In fact you have to be a coach to pick any positives from the Warriors’ performances.
You still don’t believe it has been a terrible start? Cast your minds back, if you will, to the 2012 season when Warriors got off the most flying start to a season. 108-51, 113-64 and 115-50 wins over Miracle Eagles, Rez Life Saints, and Ndejje Univ. Angels were the first three games of that season. Want to compare that with this season? Over to you…
Well, now that we all agree it has been a horrendous start, why has it been so?
Let’s take the coach’s view on this. Speaking to Kawowo Sports after the loss to Ndejje last Friday, Warriors’ coach Gad Eteu started with the players mind set. “It is all mental” he said. “You can’t look at an opponent taking an open shot and none of you is bothered when he takes another” Eteu added in reference to Jonah Otim’s pair of wide open 3-pointers that literally handed Ndejje the win.
Secondly, he pointed to team leadership. “We lack leadership on court” he said. I couldn’t agree more. The leader of that team on the floor is Ronnie Kasewu and is literally struggling in a sport where you lead by example most of the time. It is vivid that the guard turned forward is unfit. He goes for a drive to the basket and all over sudden opts to pass, he gets an open shot and still opts to pass – that is not Ronnie Kasewu!
Eteu is clearly not happy with the shots players are taking. “We are not making enough shots as we should” he says. That point is valid. Warriors have connected just 60-of-176 field shots, and 41-of-67 from the line in the three games. This all comes down to the choice of shots and the major culprits are Brian Gumisiriza and Javan Odhiambo.
So will the Warriors become better?
All their fans hope they do – indeed they will become better as time goes on and a few things start falling in place.
Sagamba, is more natural at two but is instead calling plays at the point (for lack of options) while making a few bad decisions. Once Mark Okidi returns and Tiger Head Power come to terms with the fact that Ivan Enabu made a mistake and won’t play for them, Warriors point will be sorted and Sedar will play as the shooting guard.
We all know what a fit Ronnie Kasewu can be let alone what he is capable of and will be moved to small forward. Steven Okias is back on the team and probably motivated for another championship, Henry Malinga who seems isolated down will (hopefully) find a partner.
All these coupled with more full-house practices to establish cohesion like one (and the first) the team had prior to the Ndejje game, Warriors will become more fluid and do what we know them for. They might not bend the game to their will or achieve a local basketball nirvana this season but will for sure play better and hard. Better and hard enough to make an impact in the second round and ultimately the post season.
But for the meantime, God help everyone if UCU Canons beat Warriors in the next game, the crowing and needling will probably only end when the two-time champions are crowned again.