FIBA clinic fires up Ugandan youth basketballers and coaches

Ugandan basketball coaches and U-18 basketballers could not have asked for a better refresher course than the FIBA Youth National training camp held at the Africa Bible University in Lubowa.

The six-day camp facilitated by FIBA Instructor Nour Amir and NBA Academy Technical Director/FIBA Expert Joel Touomou had three-day sessions with the coaches before another three with the youngsters.

The camp ended on Saturday with coaches and players welcoming the initiative which they say improved their knowledge and skill levels.

Patience Karungi from Nabisunsa Girls School who emerged as the girls MVP after the camp said it was an interesting and challenging camp with a lot of competition.

The best five girls from the FIBA Youth National training camp held at the Africa Bible University in Lubowa. L-R: Mary Amaniyo, Sarah Namale, Patience Karungi, Darlene Tashobya and Diana Letaru

“The girls around have been very competitive and that helped me push and try to be much better and stand out,” Karungi said.

“I had the worst shot but they have taught me how to shoot and now from the free-throw line, I can’t miss a shot. I have improved on my aggressiveness in form of a leader and the confidence in me is up there and I can now talk to my fellow girls and command them.”

“I want to take this game to a professional level and be able to get a team or a scholarship through the game because I’m a student-athlete and I want both my academics and basketball to be up there,” Karungi stated.

“I’m hoping to help my teammates to develop using the knowledge that we have received here to help our school as well as those upcoming,” Sarah Namale added.

FIBA Instructors Nour Amir (2nd left) and NBA Academy Technical Director/FIBA Expert Joel Touomou (left) and FIBA Africa Youth Council and 3×3 Basketball official Ambrose Tashobya (center-back) and FUBA president Nasser Sserunjogi (3rd right) pose with the coaches

“I’ve always had the dream of being one of the best players and I see everyone around was talented but the coaches were around to push me and corrected me and I’ve learnt a lot which is going to help me improve my workouts and get better,”.

For small and power forward Ethan Bulenzi, who is 6’ 8’’; the camp was challenging and tough but ‘there was a lot of skills training and it has given me an opportunity because I attend an online school’

“I want to go further with the national teams and do the best we can. I also want to play professionally overseas. Skill-wise the FIBA experts have helped us a lot despite the short spell we had with them and each one of us has improved and we are going to repeat these drills if we are to compete at the highest level,” Bulenzi who is only two years in the sport stated.

British School of Kampala’s Yuri Rukikaire, 17 said he also left the camp a better ballplayer who now has a better understanding of where and how to use the ball.

“My decision making and IQ has improved and also my handles. It has been a wonderful session over the three days. We’ve learnt a lot of what we didn’t know and that is going to help us change the way we play the way we are supposed to play,” Rukikaire noted.

“We thank our coaches, parents, and everyone who has been there for us. I want to take this game up to the professional level beyond Uganda’s borders and my dream is to travel many countries as I execute what I’m here for which is -basketball,” Sarah Namale added.

Darlene Tashobya’s dream of playing in the NCAA basketball league was also reignited after the camp.

“What I have benefited from the camp is skill obviously, and experience because I got to be with different people. My goal for basketball is NCAA and the Euro league or the WNBA and come back to Africa and play hopefully by that time there will be a league for women on the continent,” Tashobya said.

Coach Brian Wathum was all praises for the ‘top quality instructors that did a good job and they gave us small fundamentals to get us better as coaches, just like Olive Mulwana and Raymond Muhumuza who labelled it a very ‘knowledgeable and skillful camp’.

“We are different from when we came on Monday,” Wathum noted.

“I know our U-18 youth have benefitted a lot in terms of improving their skills and there are going to dwell on that to compete at the highest level. For us as coaches, we have twisted and everything has now become different; the way we look at things, the way we identify and develop players, all have improved and it is going to change the way basketball is played in Uganda.,” Mulwana observed.

“We’ve looked at the detail to do with talent identification and development and how to nurture that talent and the game must advance within this particular area because most of the time we have been working on this but what the experts have done is to bring that out in clarity and a lot of other skills and information that they have shared with us.

“We are not only going to implement those skills in schools and academies, but we are also going to share it with our colleagues that were not here. This is the way to go and the future is bright,” Muhumuza stated.

Patience Karungi, Sarah Namale, Darlene Tashobya, Mary Amaniyo, Diana Letaru as well as Blessing Mugisha, Mathew Kisakye, Ethan Bulenzi, Emmanuel Omara, and Yuri Rukikaire emerged as the best players from the 30-man camp.

FIBA Africa Youth Council and 3×3 Basketball official Ambrose Tashobya and FUBA president Nasser Sserunjogi advised the kids to keep on working on the skills they have acquired to get better at their craft.

Source: www.newvision.co.ug