Even with the sort of colourful career he has had as a player, Norman Blick leaves the national team dance floor a disappointed man having failed to replicate his league form while in national colours.
The five league titles won don’t add up to national team glory and Kacumbali, as he is fondly referred to, will forever know he should have had a better career in the national colours.
“It’s unfortunate when I was at my peak we didn’t have such opportunities. We had to collect money amongst ourselves to be able to play at such tournaments,” he said.
When he posted on the national team, the Silverbacks’ WhatsApp group that he was retiring from national team basketball, it was hard for any of the participants on the forum respond.
It was hard for some of the players to believe what the five time league winner had typed. The decision to leave the national team, a hard one to make, was taken after the KIU Titans small forward failed to make the final team twice in a row.
“I feel it’s time. Am not growing any younger and the coach seems to think I can’t contribute to the team anymore,” Blick told Kawowo Sports before the teams departed for Egypt last week.
Having missed out on appearing at Uganda’s maiden Afrobasket appearance, Blick was recalled to the national team frame this year but was dropped a few hours before the team travelled to Cairo, Egypt for the Zone V tournament.
“I feel I still have something I would add to the team but the coach thinks otherwise,” the former Sky Jammers, Nkumba Marines, Power and Warriors player said.
“It’s that time when a player’s nightmare -age- comes to pass. Failure to make it to the final list, I’ve decided to hang my boots and retire as a player for the national side,” Blick had revealed immediately after the selection was done.
He added that it is his dream to coach the national team in the future.
“I will keep contributing to the game because this is my life. Hopefully I will be back to the national team in a different capacity.”
It is the second time Blick is being dropped from the national side having been left out of the team that featured at Afrobasket in 2015.
Blick joins veteran Henry Malinga, who refused to honour the call up and decided to concentrate on his private work.
He however has no intentions of quitting club basketball any time soon and will keep pushing with KIU in their chase for a first ever final.
Even with only two foreign based players, Stanley Ocitti and Darius Pegues, making the team, Blick couldn’t get a slot ahead of the locally-based rookies.
Blick will now concentrate on growing the game from the grass roots with his basketball academy. It is his dream to see one of his three daughters playing basketball and excelling more than he did.