Silverbacks Fixture:
August 26: Angola
August 27: Côte d’Ivoire
August 28: Guinea
Uganda Men’s National Basketball team, the Silverbacks, will head to Ivory Coast for the last and crucial round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers without one of their best player.
Arthur Kaluma will not make the trip to Abidjan, Ivory Coast with the Silverbacks as he is nursing an injury.
It’s another blow for the Silverbacks whose preparations for the round have also been hindered financial hardships after late arrival of Government funds.
Kaluma is averaging 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3 assists at the ongoing Qualifiers.
The Creighton University’s 6’7” forward has been replaced by UCU Canons’ Titus Lual Odeke who missed the previous window in Kigali.
The lanky Odeke averaged 9 points and 10.2 rebounds in the National Basketball League as UCU Canons finished second on the log in the regular season.
And that is the only change in the roster heading to Abidjan from the team that played in Kigali two months back, with NBA’s Ismail Wainwright also making the trip.
The local contingent flies out on Wednesday night and will arrive on Thursday, with FUBA President Nasser Sserunjogi saying that the foreign based delegation started travelling on Tuesday.
About the Qualifiers:
The second round marks the conclusion of the campaign that will see the remaining 12 teams vie for the five tickets for the World Cup in Indonesia, Japan and Phillipines next year.
The remaining 12 teams progressed from the first round, finished among the top three teams in each of the four Groups (A, B, C and D) in the first round.
At this next round, the 12 teams were pitted into two groups (E and F); E is a merger of top three teams in each Group A and C, while F is a merger of B and D.
Group E that will play in Abidjan (Cote D’Ivoire) has previous Uganda’s Group A opponents Nigeria and Cape Verde alongside Group C’s best three teams Cote D’Ivoire, Angola and Guinea.
And you do not play teams you faced in your previous group in the first round, meaning Uganda will play former Group C teams Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea and Angola.
The results from the first round are carried, meaning that Uganda are fifth, only above Guinea in the six-team group where top two will earn an automatic place at the World Cup. The third placed team from either Group E or F will earn the last ticket.
The other Group, F, that will play in Monastir (Tunisia), has South Sudan, Egypt, hosts Tunisia, DR Congo, Senegal and Cameroon.
Group E:
- Cote D’Ivoire 4-0
- Cape Verde 3-1
- Angola 2-2
- Nigeria 2-2
- Uganda 1-3
- Guinea 0-4
Silverbacks Squad – Ivan Muhwezi, Jimmy Enabu, Tonny Drilleba, James Okello, Titus Lual Odeke, Jonathan Komagum, Ishmail Wainwright, Robinson Opong, Deng Geu, Emmanuel Womala, Kieran Zziwa, Emmanuel Mugenga
