In the end the overall feeling following the draw of the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers was that it could have been worse for the national basketball team Silverbacks.
Conducted on Sunday evening in the host country China, Uganda will have to negotiate a complex qualifying format in order to secure one of five slots available to the continent. The Silverbacks will first have to ensure they avoid being bottom of the four team Group B when the qualifiers begin in November this year.
"We need to work really had to get through the first round but it could have been worse," stated Fuba president Tashobya who attended the draw. The format will have 16 teams grouped in teams of four. Fiba will then choose two countries in the respective groups that will host the two rounds that the teams will face off.Consequently with Uganda grouped alongside Rwanda, Nigeria and Mali, the last two nations stand a bigger chance of hosting the two group meetings as a result of having more accomplished facilities. The top three teams from each of the four groups will then merge to form two groups of six each.
As a result the best three teams from Uganda's Group B will be merged with the top three from Group D that consists of Senegal, Mozambique, Ivory Coast and a yet to be filled wild card slot. The six teams will then face off on home and away basis with the top two in each group earning automatic qualification to the World Cup. The fifth slot will then be decided by which third placed team in the two groups has a better record.
Uganda's basketball seems to be on a high with the country last year sealing back to back qualification to the Afro basket championship. While Stanley Ochitti and A'darius Pegues dominated the headlines, this year's team largely consisted of domestic league players including Betway Power captain Joseph Ikong as well as Stephen Omony, Ben Komakech and Jimmy Enabu among others.
Uganda's road to 2019 basketball World Cup mapped out
By Elvis Ssenono
2019 FIBA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
DRAW
Group A: Guinea, South Africa, Cameroon, Tunisia
Group B: Uganda, Rwanda, Mali, Nigeria
Group C: DR Congo, Angola, Morocco, Egypt
Group D: Senegal, Mozambique, Ivory Coast, TBA