Uganda’s preparations for the final qualification games to AfroBasket have been far from ideal.
This is as a result of the five domestic players on the 12-man roster being unable to train together after the government announced a national lockdown on June 17.
This is in addition to domestic basketball governing body Fuba cancelling the supposed 10-day camp in Egypt in which they would have joined their seven foreign based counterparts.
The trip was cancelled after Uganda was listed among countries with a high Covid-19 risk, which means being quarantined for at least 10 days upon arrival in Morocco.
This Fuba to have the team travel directly to Morocco for the game that will be played on July 08.
Despite the hardships Silverbacks captain Jimmy Enabu remains optimistic the team can qualify, as they require just one win from the two games against Morocco and Cape Verde.
“Obviously because of no access to basketball courts and a certain extent playing fields, players have been working out from home so a lot of the preparation has been indoor. Working out from home,” he said of the current situation.
“We expect to qualify. I think they are realistic expectations. The team that has been put together is legit. Some new faces there so we are again building from what we did before and we are looking at a good campaign,” Enabu further explained
“I think the new faces in Hakim in Keiran and Arthur are all really good and are different kind players. Each of them brings something new to the team so it is exciting."
"Much as we haven’t played together before we’ve seen what they can do and interacted with some of them already so gelling into the team shouldn’t be a problem,” he added.
A win against Morocco on July 8th would be enough for Uganda to qualify and that would rule out spending on another trip to Cape Verde.
Joseph Ikong, Ceaser Kizito and Fayed Bbale are the three players who dropped from the team that travelled to Tunisia in February.
Join Betway now & enjoy betting on 100’s of markets with the most competitive odds on offer
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow Betway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Download the Betway App.