Basketballers off to Cairo with guarded hope

FIBA Zone V Afrobasket Qualifiers (Cairo, Mar 12-18) 

The Uganda Gazelles and Silverbacks fly out to Cairo for the FIBA Africa Zone V Afrobasket Qualifiers early Friday. 

The senior women and women's national basketball teams are aiming to return to the continental Afrobasket following their maiden appearances two years ago. 

However, it remains to be seen how the two national outfits will respond to the challenge of playing away from home especially after failing to have the 10-day residential camp that had been the desire of sport governing body. 

FUBA had planned to have both teams in Egypt 10 days before the March 12-18 tournament, enter residential training and hopefully go on to secure a top-two finish in their respective categories.

But FUBA failed to find the $76,000 required to facilitate its plan despite reaching out to several government arms.

The National Council of Sports only provided $33,000 and advised FUBA to take one team instead of two, a shocking proposal to say the least. 

It took a lot of persuasion for the government to pay both teams' air tickets and even then, FUBA president Ambrose Tashobya is staying behind to look for $42,000 to cater for the team's welfare in Cairo. 

Uganda hosted the 2014 FIBA Zone V Afrobasket Qualifiers and both the Gazelles and Silverbacks qualified, with the former as champions.