Henrison Basketball Academy climaxed the year with a Christmas Cup held on Wednesday at Kabira Country Club in Kampala.

The tournament that attracted the academy’s players, ended with the winning team walking home with a title.

Gabriel Nyeko who hit 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists in the final, was deservedly named the Most Valuable Player.

Ishimwe Owen and Jonathan Ssenyomo clinched Top Scorer and Youngest Player gongs.

“It was a good game and the other team gave us a tough contest,” said the MVP after the final. “I enjoyed myself and it feels good to be named the best.”

“We learnt a lot today; Team work is very key. There was a time when we found ourselves down like five points down going into the last quarter but we managed to dig deep and found our footing.

“This is a good platform for us to showcase what we learned and see how we can improve.”

The top three best performers – Gabriel Nyeko, Newton Kayongo and Terrence Obua, as picked by Guest of honour Manny Nesta, a Basketball Enthusiast based in the United States, will be considered for potential scholarships in the future.

Nesta commented: “I love playing basketball, I love the Sport. When I first came here in Uganda, I realized there are many kids who love the Sport.”

“I figured that it would be right to give them (Kids) an opportunity to play in better places. So I put up proposals for scholarships and we got a bunch of Sports Schools that give scholarships to kids all over the world because when you look at Joel Embiid, Bismarck Biyombo among others come from Africa.”

On his impression, he stated: “The kids here, its nothing compared to the kids out there in the States that I have played with but it’s about the facilities. I believe that if they are put in better facilities, they can do better.

“They need to be in a better place to be better.

“I always encourage my friends (basketball players) to come and help kids in Africa, because even one simple basketball camp can make a difference.”

This marked the final and third event of the academy, an initiative by Henrison Mbaziira who doubles as the coach.

Mbazira who commended Nesta for acquiring the scholarships for the players, said the tournament was intended to help the kids to further showcase and market their game.