If there are any locally based players guaranteed a place on the Silverbacks team to play at the first round of the World Cup qualifiers, it’s skipper Stephen Omony and guard Jimmy Enabu.
The rest of the players who have been training over the past one and a half weeks will have to prove their worth to the coaches and the first audition is on tonight at Lugogo Indoor Stadium when they take on a select side from the National Basketball League.
While City Oilers power forward James Okello, Warriors’ Stanley Mugerwa and Power captain Joseph Ikong will fancy their chances because of form, size and experience respectively, the guards will have to do a lot more.
Syrus Kiviiri, Tony Drilleba, Jonah Otim, Mark Opio, Derrick Isiagi, Mike Madol and Jonathan Egau will be looking to impress to be part of the final 12-man team.
Meanwhile, the final team is expected to travel for a training camp in West Africa on February 16 but they will be without coach George Galanapolous who handled the team at last year’s Afrobasket. Consequently, Mandy Juruni and Omar Barajab will be in charge of the team at the February 23-25 tournament in Mali.
The Silverbacks need to finish among the top three in a group that has Rwanda, Nigeria and hosts Mali to make the final phase of the qualifiers.
