Uganda National Basketball Team The Silverbacks to Start Preparations ahead of AfoBasket 2021 Qualifiers
The Uganda Basketball Federation together with the team management has summoned a roster to start the training in preparation for the journey to Egypt for the Afrobasket 2021 Qualifiers window 1.
The training begins today, October 6 at the Lugogo Indoor MTN Arena under the direction of Mandy Juruni who is currently City Oilers head coach, assisted by Brian Wathum of Titans & junior silverbacks along with Andrew Tendo.
12 local players have been invited to start a non-residential camp for 40 days, the team will train 4 days a week after which they will select a group to head to the training camp in Alexandria where they will meet the foreign-based players with head coach George Galanopoulos.
The SilverBacks plan to play some friendly games in Alexandria before they start the competition on November 27, 2020. Uganda are placed in Group E with Egypt, Morocco and another team that is yet to be confirmed from Pre-Qualifying games scheduled between 23-25 October opposing South Sudan, Cape Verde, Chat and Zimbabwe.
The usual foreign-based players, Brandon Davies, Jordin Mayers and A’Darius Pegues will not feature. However, there is a new face on the list, 26-year old power forward who plays for SIG Strasbourg in France. Mr Ishmail Wainwright.
Silverbacks last on the court in the summer of 2019 in the 2019 Zone Five tourney in Uganda where they finished 3rd behind Kenya and Egypt, will have to play the 2nd window of this qualifiers in February 2021 before hoping for participation in the final games in Kigali.
Uganda has qualified for and competed in the last two AfroBasket tournaments – Tunisia 2015 and Senegal / Tunisia 2017 and are determined to make it a third straight time.
Silverbacks Full Roster
Local-Based Players:
Ben Komakech (City Oilers), Tony Drileba (City Oilers), Ivan Muhwezi (City Oilers) Fayed Bbale (UCU Canons), Innocent Ochera (JKL Dolphins), Jimmy Abraham Enabu (City Oilers), Joseph Ikong Anyuru (City Oilers), David Deng Kongor (UCU), Stanley Mugerwa (Warriors), Geoffrey Soro (Nam Blazers), James Okello (City Oilers), (Titus Lual Odeke (UCU Canons).
Foreign-Based:
Emmanuel Mugenga, Samuel Kalwanyi , Eric Rwahire ,Ishmail Wainwright , Robinson Opong , and Deng Geu .
