Friday, April 10 at Lugogo
KCCA Leopards Vs A1 Challenge 5:30pm
City Oilers Vs Tiger Head Power 7:30pm
There is something about the upcoming 2015 National Basketball League season that feels awfully unfamiliar.
There are four contenders – City Oilers, Tiger Head Power, StarTimes Falcons and KIU Titans. Or let’s say five to include Warriors for the sake of it and granted things change drastically.
To get the league started will be a repeat of last season’s finals as Tiger Head Power take on City Oilers at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium on Friday night.
A lot has changed at Power right from the head coach to playing staff. Kenyan, Robert Mugabe came in to replace Bernes Akunda at the top as the five-time champions seek glory that has eluded them for the last three years.
Power have made more than six additions with last year’s regular season MVP, Sudi Ulanga and Micheal Makiadi being the major new faces while guards Richard Balemwa (Knight Riders) and Ken Balyejusa have returned.
Even with all these changes at Power nothing has really changed. The defending champions, City Oilers remain the team to beat as their dominating run through last year’s finals was followed by the addition of last year’s Zone V MVP Laundry Ndikumana from Urunani to the core that swept Power. Tony Drileba was brought by City Oilers as a stand in for injured Ben Komakech who will not return until June.
Power last beat City Oilers in Game 1 of the second round of the 2013 playoffs and Power has since lost eleven straight games to City Oilers, 9 times in the League (including playoffs), once in the Zone V Club Championships and most recently in the semifinals of the KIU Invitational.
Mugabe is trying to restore the quick transition basketball, with younger lads getting minutes in the two season tune up tournaments but Power might be forced into long distance shooting on the half court offense as even with the presence of the Kenyan pair of Philip Ameny and Micheal Makiadi, the City Oilers still have an interior superiority in terms of finise with forward Laundry Ndikumana, Kami Kabenge and Samuel Kalwanyi.
Before the men’s encounter, defending champions KCCA Leopards will play A1 Challenge in the women’s division opener.
