Natuhereza outclasses former protégé to add another title to UCU haul
UCU sealed their ninth championship with a 63-49 victory in Game Five at Lugogo Indoor Arena on Sunday, ending the Lady Jaguars' strong campaign and extending UCU’s record as the most successful women’s team in the league.
The UCU Lady Canons celebrate with the FUBA Women's League Trophy after they beat JT Lady Jaguars 4-1 in the best of seven final playoffs at the Lugogo Arena, August 31, 2026. (Photos by Michael Nsubuga)
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National Basketball League
Lady Canons 63 Lady Jaguars 49 (Lady Canons win series 4-1)
The UCU Lady Canons have reclaimed the National Basketball League (NBL) Women’s title, beating JT Lady Jaguars 4-1 in the best-of-seven finals.
UCU sealed their ninth championship with a 63-49 victory in Game Five at Lugogo Indoor Arena on Sunday, ending the Lady Jaguars' strong campaign and extending UCU’s record as the most successful women’s team in the league.
The victory was another success in the work of coach Nicholas Natuhereza, who has been at the centre of UCU’s basketball programme for more than a decade.
Natuhereza joined UCU as an assistant coach in 2009 before becoming head coach of both the men’s and women’s teams in 2010.
Since then, he has guided the Lady Canons to eight of their nine championships, with UCU’s first title coming in 2008, before he took charge.
“This title is important because we have worked for it for a long time. The players stayed together, trusted the process and showed the character needed to win the championship,” Natuhereza said.
UCU Lady Canons Matrina Anyango (center) fights for a rebound with JT Lady Jaguars' Maimuna Nabbosa (left) Among Annet (right) at the Lugogo Arena, August 31, 2026.
His work at UCU has also extended to the men’s team. He has guided the Canons to two NBL finals, including the 2019 final against City Oilers, although the men’s title has remained elusive.
The latest final also brought Natuhereza face-to-face with Sudi Ulanga, his former player at UCU and now head coach of JT Lady Jaguars.
Ulanga played for UCU before later returning to the university in 2021, with Natuhereza welcoming him back to provide experience to a young team.
Years later, the two met on opposite benches in an NBL final, with Ulanga trying to lead the Kira-based club to their first top-flight championship.
“It was good to see Sudi on the other side because I have watched him grow from a player into a coach. But once the final started, our focus was winning the championship,” Natuhereza said.
The Lady Jaguars' defeat should, however, not overshadow the rapid progress of the Jaguars.
The Jaguars entered the 2026 finals as the regular-season favourites after finishing top with a 10-1 record. They had also beaten UCU twice during the regular season.
That form, however, did not carry into the finals.
UCU won the first three games to take a 3-0 lead. JT responded with a 72-52 victory in Game Four to keep the series alive, but UCU finished the job with a 63-49 win in Game Five.
“We knew they would be difficult because they had already beaten us twice in the regular season. We had to stay calm, trust our experience and execute better in the final,” Natuhereza said.
The Lady Jaguars' main problem was their inability to maintain their regular-season consistency when the pressure increased.
While they had shown they could beat UCU before the finals, the Canons were more consistent across the five-game series.
JT also struggled to respond after falling 3-0 behind. Although they produced a strong reaction in Game Four, UCU quickly regained control in the decisive fifth game.
Martina Anyango of UCU Lady Canons was named Finals and Playoffs Most Valuable Player after playing a key role in UCU’s successful title defence.
Sarah Ageno of JT Lady Jaguars won the Defensive Player of the Year award, while Tracy Namugosa of KCCA Leopards was named Regular Season Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer.