AfroBasket Qualifier
Morocco vs Uganda
Thursday, 08-07-2021 @9pm EAT
Uganda men’s national basketball team, Silverbacks will be hoping to qualify for a third straight AfroBasket tournament when they face Morocco on Thursday.
The two nations are meeting for a second time in the qualifiers, at the Salle El Bouazzaoui in Sale at 9 PM EAT.
Victory for Uganda will ensure that they qualify for the event proper, scheduled for Kigali, Rwanda from August 24th to September 5th, 2021.
In their first meeting last yearx Uganda emerged 94-90 winners in a hotly contested duel especially in the last quarter.
Ahead of the game, Silverbacks captain Jimmy Enabu is optimistic about Uganda’s chances of winning.
“Going into a single game, you go with the idea of not having time to grow as it’s one hit and out. Enabu told FUBA media.
“No one is really thinking about the next journey so this is very important for us. Coming into this from a successful camp, we are expected to win, we set expectations for ourselves.
“Everyone is healthy, everyone has been putting in the work so we are hoping for the best. We’re leaving nothing to chance.”
The game was slated for February but Uganda got hit with COVID-19 in their camp forcing a postponement.
Three new players, Ghedi Abdi Hakim Mohamed, Kieran Zziwa and Arthur Kaluma have been added to the team and hopefully they live up to the expectations.
If Silverbacks lose to Morocco, they will have to play Cape Verde (away) on 15th July and if triumphant they will qualify for the said finals.
However, if Silverbacks lose all their Group E second window games, it will then go down to goal difference with Morocco needing a +8 win over Uganda while Cape Verde need a +6 win to come atop Uganda. Egypt is already qualified for the finals but the top three teams from each group and a wildcard will form the 16 teams that will qualify for Afrobasket finals.
In the first qualifying window, Uganda picked two wins from three games, defeating Morocco and Cape Verde. The other ended in a 19-point loss to Egypt.
Uganda’s team in Morocco
Jimmy Enabu (City Oilers), James Okello (City Oilers), Tonny Drileba (City Oilers), Benjamin Komakech (City Oilers), Titus Odeke (UCU Canons), Ronson Odoch Opong (Canada), Eric Rwahwire (Canada), Keiran Zziwa (Canada), Ghedi Muhamed (USA), Geu Dengeu John (Denmark), Ishmail Wainright (France) and Arthur Kaluma (USA).
