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Can new look Silverbacks crash the party at AfroBasket?

The Present

Opong, the most experienced player in the Silverbacks setup, is looking forward to what he termed “a celebration of African basketball culture”.

Silverbacks Opong — **Robinson Opong brings a wealth of experience to the Silverbacks. Picture: The BTO**

“I’m excited. The AfroBasket is the biggest basketball tournament in Africa. Everybody is going to bring their best,” said the former MBB player. “It’s a celebration of basketball culture in Africa. So, we have to bring our A-game and represent as best as we can.

From his first AfroBasket in 2017 to the present, Opong says he loves wearing the Silverbacks vest. He spoke with a sense of happiness at having the opportunity to don it again.

“Man, it’s the best feeling ever. Whenever you put on the Ugandan jersey, there is a feeling of everybody supporting you… your friends, family and the fans… There is nothing like it,” said Opong.

He is also one of the three surviving players from the 2021 AfroBasket, where Uganda finished at the quarter-finals. Opong, American-born Ishmail Wainright and John Geu Deng will be the guiding hands for the rest of the team. Canada-born Opong says they are to take on that responsibility.

“We bring continuity to the group. We know each other and have played in many tournaments together. So, it is up to us to lead this new team. We have to play as a collective and be solid,” said Opong.

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On the court, Opong is one of the Silverbacks players whose game will be studied in the opposition’s scouting report. His lethal weapon, the three-point shot, saw him set an AfroBasket Qualifiers record in February when he scored 39 points, 24 of which came from behind the arc in a victory over Nigeria.

Who could forget his clutch three for MBB against Nairobi City Thunder in the Nile Conference leg of the BAL? Opong says he is aware that his ability to score from three is no secret, and while teams plan around that, it will allow other strategies to take shape.

“I think it can help a lot. The teams prepare against that. They don’t want me to shoot. So that opens up the game for my teammates,” said Opong. “One of the things I use is my strength, so that opens up a lot than just me shooting. It will open up doors for guys to cut and dunk.”

With the days passing and the AfroBasket nearing, how has the camp in South Africa helped the Silverbacks?

“It’s been great. Things are going fast. In a couple of days, we will play our first game against Senegal. Our focus is on tactics, on offence and defence. I think we are doing a great job as a group,” said Opong.

The future

Rugete, one of the youngest members of the team, knows a thing or two about international basketball, having played for his country’s U16 and U18 teams at the age group AfroBaskets.

Silverbacks Tejan — **Tejan Rugette has been elevated to the Silverbacks senior team.**

Those junior competitions cannot compare to what he could potentially experience in Angola. Despite his youth, Rugette feels that making the final 12 for the AfroBasket affirms his talent.

“It’s one of the biggest confirmations I have had in my life. I was so happy,” said Rugette. “I was spending time with my family (when I got the call). It tells me how the people of Uganda and the coaching staff see me.

“Their feeling that I can play at this level means everything to me.”

His being part of the team speaks volumes about what Rugete’s coaches see in him. While he welcomes the advancement of his career, he has measured expectations of himself at the AfroBasket.

“Coming in, I know it’s going to be difficult. For me, it’s just keeping a positive attitude, to push myself and to learn as much as I can from the older guys,” said Rugette.

Staying on the subject of acquiring insights from the veterans, what has he learnt from spending time with players like Opong?

“These guys have helped me a lot with everything. They have told me not to take the back seat. Try to stand out, play and compete. They have given me confidence in every way,” said Rugette. “So, working with guys who play at high levels that I aspire to is amazing for me and my game.

“In the future, hopefully, when I am their age, I can compete at that level too. I want to help the team and be one of the best players for Uganda.”

The Silverbacks are certainly in transition. It is encouraging to see how the present and the future are cultivating a sense of sustainable team culture.

Can new look Silverbacks crash the party at AfroBasket? Read More »

Silverbacks eager to rub shoulders with Africa’s elite

FOR the Uganda national team players and coach Mandy Juruni, there has been little rest. Juruni and his players did not enjoy much of a festive season as they have been hard at work, in attempting to qualify for their third FIBA Afrobasket in a row.

The Silverbacks, as the Uganda basketball team is known, has experienced growth under the tutelage of Juruni, who assumed the coaching role in 2014. And since his appointment, Uganda qualified for the 2015 and 2017 editions of the tournament.

Uganda will hope the toil and sacrifice, will again result in a ticket to the marquee continental event in Rwanda (24 August-5 September).

Second Picture — **Uganda coach Mandy Juruni knows the task ahead is still difficult. Pictures: FIBA**

But before they can even think of the tournament itself, Uganda must negotiate their way through the qualification process. The Silverbacks head to Monastir, Tunisia for the second qualifying window (February 17-21), with a 3-2 record. They will have a measure of confidence after victories over group E opponents, Cape Verde and Morocco in the opening qualifying window, held in Egypt last year. The East African’s only loss came at the hands of the hosts.

As mentioned earlier, the reasoning for the extra work is that players need to remain motivated, as taking their eye off the ball can be costly. Another issue has also been the lack of action on the court, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a technical team, we sat down after the first window and decided we are not taking a lot of time off. We wanted to keep the boys engaged as there has not been competitive basketball in Uganda because of the pandemic,” said the 38-year-old Juruni. “We started training in the third week of December. We had a few days off during the Christmas break and got right back at it on the first week of January. “

While the lack of competitive basketball is lamentable, and Uganda’s defeat against Egypt showed as much. Juruni, who has won a combined 12 league titles in the men’s and women’s local league, will be buoyed by the two victories his team notched.

“It’s been difficult because in basketball, to be in good game shape, you have to compete. Just training only is not good enough. You have to play games,” said Juruni, who reflected on their first round of qualifiers. “Definitely in the first window, it was difficult for us, we had not played a competitive match since March. Our first competitive game was against Egypt. We gave it our best. At the end of the third quarter, we were still in the game. In the fourth quarter, we ran out of steam and lost focus. But in our next games, because we had played before, we were much better.”

The talents of American-born small forward, Ishmail Wainright, shooting guard Robinson Opong and point guard Jimmy Enabu, have helped put the Silverbacks’ qualifying destiny in their own hands. The scoring feats of Wainright (21.3 points per game), Opong (19.0 points per game) and Enabu (17.7 points per game) have been crucial to Uganda’s campaign. A factor Juruni acknowledges, but he also indicated that it would take more than the scoring ability of the trio to make it to the Afrobasket.

We are happy with the performances of those three. But for us to succeed, we will need more than that. We need everyone in the team to contribute positively. We believe the team that we have can do that. So we want our best players to continue playing well. We want the other seven or eight players to come on board as well. The more we contribute individually, the better it is for the team,” said the former point guard.

Juruni has ensured that his team does not rest on its laurels. He is also aware that the job is half-done, and familiar foes with similar desires stand in their way. The physical education teacher is well-versed with the above scenario after Uganda dropped the ball attempting to qualify for a major tournament.

“Our goal is to qualify for the Afrobasket. I know that it is not going to come easy. We have to work for it; we have to respect our opponents because they are good basketball nations. We have been in a situation like this in the World Cup qualifiers. We don’t want to be comfortable because we won two games. We want to train hard and have the best preparation possible to have a better campaign in the second window,” said Juruni, who coaches local club City Oilers.

It has not been ideal preparation for Uganda, but they have faced the challenge head-on. They will need to be resilient, tenacious and make the most of the advantage they hold if they are to rub shoulders with the continents elite basketball nations again.