Stanbic Warriors vs Ndejje Angels 6:30pm, YMCA
When Stanbic Warriors walk on to the YMCA tarmac this evening, they will have a new but not too unfamiliar a face in town.
Guard, Josh Johnson will debut for the former champions against Ndejje University Angels in the Airtel National Basketball League after joining the side from the UK where he played for Ipswich.
However, not everything is black and white as his status is shrouded in mystery with the player and a club official not reading from the same page.
“I will play (for Warriors) for two months,” Johnson, 25, who returned to Uganda last Wednesday, told Kawowo sports. “I am not a free agent.” “My team gave me permission to play for Warriors for the next two months.”
Johnson was one of the four Ugandan-born foreigners ‘imported’ for last year’s FIBA Africa Zone V Nations Championship.
Johnson, along with Kassim Nagwere, John Baligwire and Samuel Mukooza, helped the Silverbacks qualify for this year’s Afrobasket along with Egypt.
That is definitely quality that Warriors official Ivan Ntabazi is glad to have, only just.
“He is a free agent,” Ntabazi claimed. “And in basketball, there is always an agreement between federations that for a player to move to another federation. He must be identified as a free agent,” he added.
Section 3.05 International Transfer of Players of the FUBA Rules and regulations for club competitions 2015 state: (c) The club requesting international transfer shall provide the players personal details to FUBA i.e. date of birth, name of player, nationality, club of origin if applicable, and the license number if the player was licensed. (d) A letter of clearance must first be obtained from the national member federation where a player was last licensed before he can be licensed by FUBA. (e) A copy of each letter of clearance must be sent (by mail) to FIBA.
This document certifies that the player concerned is free to be licensed by FUBA.
“His club released him and FUBA got a clearance letter from the English federation,” Sande Manano secretary of the competitions committee said yesterday.
With the Afrobasket coming later this year, Johnson is in urgent of miles in his legs. “I haven’t played for about six weeks so am trying to get in shape for Tunisia,” he explained.
He finds a team in need of some quality in depth. Warriors have four wins and three losses thus far.