FIBA U18 Women African Championship - Team profile: Uganda

KAMPALA (Uganda) - Uganda will be aiming to make a mark at their fourth appearance in the FIBA U18 Women African Championship with a mission to reach the medals bracket.

This is because their last three appearances ended in a not too impressive note.

Team: Uganda
Last participation at U18 African Women Championship: 2018 (8th place)
Best result at U18 African Women Championship: 8th (2018)
How they qualified for the 2022 U18 Women African Championship: Uganda earned an automatic ticket by finishing first at the FIBA U18 Women African Championship Zone 5 Qualifiers.
History/Qualification: Uganda will be making their 4th appearance.
Head Coach: Head coach of KCCA Leopards, Ali Mavita is an experienced coach in Uganda basketball.

The East African nation in their first participation in Rades, Tunisia 2008 saw them finish in the 11th position and in 2016, they improved to an 8th place in the championship held in Cairo, Egypt while in the 2018 edition that followed in Maputo, Mozambique had the Uganda U18 side retaining their 8th position.

That is no longer the case as Uganda is headed for Antsirabe, Madagascar as champions of the FIBA Africa Zone 5 champions with Sylvia Nantongo emerging the star act for her country.

She put on a show to help Uganda to a 3-1 mark in the FIBA U18 Women's Africa Championship Zone 5 qualifier which earned them a ticket to the Final Round of the FIBA U18 Women’s African Championship.

Nantongo, 18, finished with a game-high of 17 points, she added 11 rebounds, and two assists in addition to three blocks as Uganda closed the regional qualifier with nine points to top the table.

The supersonic centre and charismatic offensive force who originally played netball until coach Chris Kijjambu scouted her is a student of St Mary’s SS Kitende.

Uganda closed the regional qualifier with 9 points to top the table despite losing one game to Rwanda. The loss to neighbouring Rwanda was not enough to stop from winning Zone 5, and secure their place in the Final Round.

Uganda started their campaign with a 71-50 win against Rwanda and followed it with a 64-36 victory against Tanzania. In their second face-off with Rwanda on Friday, the Gazelles lost 52-43.
Nantongo was named the winner for  Top Scorer award as well as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

With hopes high in Uganda, Nantongo will have to propel her team to make the right impact and prove that their win in Zone V is not a fluke.
Uganda coach Mavita Ali will have to work harder knowing that his side will face stiffer opposition in this Final Round.

FIBA