When the draws for the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket were conducted about a month ago, Mandy Juruni’s plan was to have home-based Silverbacks train for at least three weeks before linking up with the foreign-based legion.
However, because of lack of finances – which is a common place for Ugandan sport – not even the locally based players who were to be part of the team were named to start practice.
And with the tournament barely three weeks away, the team has only been named and it consists of nine home-based players led by skipper Stephen Omony and as expected Jimmy Enabu, Ben Komakech and Joseph Ikong.
Warriors forward Stanley Mugerwa has surprisingly been included on the team that also has UCU Canons guard Jonathan Egau as well as City Oilers duo of James Okello and Jonah Otim.
Syrus Kiviiri’s fine form this term with Warriors has earned him a place on the team that has four foreign-based players.
Stanley Ociiti and A’darius Pegues who helped the team qualify for the continental showpiece lead the foreign legion that also has newcomer Robinson Odoch Opong as well as Samuel Kalwanyi who played at the 2015 event.
Having secured $120,000 from government, the team is expected to leave the country on Wednesday for camp in Egypt before connecting to Dakar, Senegal that will play host to Group B (in which Uganda is pooled) and Group D in the preliminary round.
The tournament tips-off September 8 and will run up to September 16.
The Team
1. Ben Komakech
2. Jimmy Abraham Enabu
3. Syrus Kiviiri
4. Robinson Odoch Opong
5. Jonathan Egau
6. Jonah Kermu Otim
7. Joseph Ikong Anyuru
8. Stephen Omony
9. James Okello
10. Stanley Mugerwa
11. Samuel Kalwanyi
12. Stanley Ocitti Ochaya
13. A’darius Pegues
The Groups
Group A: Nigeria, DR Congo, Mali and Ivory Coast
Group B: Angola, Central African Republic, Morocco and Uganda
Group C: Tunisia, Guinea, Rwanda and Cameroon
Group D: Senegal, Mozambique, Egypt and South Africa