Overview:
Last season’s champions UCU Lady Canons with not take part of the tournament after the institution revealed that it lacks funds for the trip.
With only a few days till tip-off, the UCU Lady Canons have withdrawn from the FIBA Africa Women’s Basketball League 2023 Qualifiers.
The highly anticipated competition will take place at the Lycée de Kigali Gymnasium from October 28 to November 4.
However, last season’s National Basketball League champions, the UCU Lady Canons, will not participate in the competition due to a lack of funding for the trip.
“We have pulled out of the tournament due to financial constraints,” UCU Lady Canons head coach Nicholas Natuhereza told Kawowo Sports.
Sam Lukaire, the head of sports at UCU also asserted that a small budget for sports has greatly affected their program.
“It is disappointing that the ladies will not go to Kigali. We are currently looking for sponsors to curb the big challenge of lack of funds. We need to wait and see if we can get some sponsors on board.”
Lady Canons finished third in the just concluded Women’s National Basketball League and the FIBA Africa Women’s Basketball League 2023 Qualifiers was going to continue the litmus process to the growing team.
But now JKL Lady Dolphins remain the only confirmed representative for Uganda ahead of the tournament.
Tough year for Lady Canons
It has been a tough year for the Mukono-based side. They missed out on the league finals for the first time in several years and now they will not play the FIBA Zone V.
However much this was strongly attached to the rebuilding process, rumour has it that the University has not been fully supporting the sports department.
This has demotivated a number of players thus a drop in the performance on the court. UCU has been a great nursery bed for most of the country’s basketball talents and it scares to see them in such a dark corner.