NBL first round review: Oilers bounce back, Rez Life rise

The halftime report is in, and familiar faces adorn the top of the National Basketball League (NBL) again.

At which point, it is tempting to close shop and move on to something else. City Oilers first, Namuwongo Blazers second is not exactly source material for a bestseller, is it? Fact is, there is more flesh to this very thin and familiar of NBL narratives.

For starters, the Oilers may be historically accustomed to being top of the NBL, but coming off a horrible 2025 season, in which they finished closer to the relegation zone than the top at the end of the regular season, it was not obvious where Andrew Tendo’s side would be 11 games into the 2026 campaign.

Sure, they gave themselves a great chance for an immediate turnaround with a productive offseason that brought in Joel Kayira, Landry Ndikumana and Joel Lukoji, among other signings. But with so much change to onboard, there was potential of the beginning being joyful as much as painful. Yet only a single defeat, though of a historic nature, has prevented the record NBL winners from an unbeaten first round.

More on that defeat and its architects in a moment, but for now, Namuwongo, who are behind the Oilers on account of losing their season opener. That game—won 75-64 by the Oilers—as usual was more about heralding the start of a new campaign rather than providing lasting clues about where the two sides will be if, as expected, they meet in the Finals.

Namuwongo have actually been more dominant in their 10 victories, which is borne out by their superior points difference. Their second-round clash, which is this coming weekend in Hoima, should give us a better picture of how the two sides match up.

Namuwongo will go into the game on a 10-game winning streak, while the Oilers are looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season. The shock 62-48 loss was at the hands of third-placed Rez Life, who held the Oilers scoreless in the fourth quarter until the last nine seconds of the frame.

The game has been treated as an outlier by the Oilers, a once-in-a-decade occurrence that should not be obsessed over. For Rez Life, though, the victory is further proof of their emergence as a good NBL team.

For Moses Okwera, whose side won a club record nine games in the first round, the goal of reaching the playoff semifinals seems very realistic. Not just because of how well they are playing now, but because their improvement really began in the second round of last season, in which they won eight games in a row. This is a team that has made real growth and could only get better with players like Chris Omanye expected back in the second round.

Above all, they have the most interesting player in the league in Edrine Ekau. The league’s top scorer has been sensational, and it takes some believing that he is a high-school graduate. Okwera deserves credit for how he has transformed Rez Life from a team that never survived relegation to one that is rubbing shoulders with the NBL top brass.

The UCU Canons are among that class, certainly in terms of historicity, but they are looking at another season of mid-table mediocrity. The Canons are incapable of retaining their best talent as in earlier years and have not had a side strong enough to contend for the title since 2019. After a first round that has seen them lose five of 11 games, another season of player development lies ahead for Nick Natuhereza and the Canons.

Fourth-placed KCCA Panthers have a 7-4 record after their best-ever start to an NBL season. KCCA have, in many ways, been led by Waleed Omar, who is arguably the most exciting talent in the league. KCCA coach Raymond Muhumuza hopes the team can finally reach the playoff semifinals this season. This goal will necessitate staying in the top four to draw a favourable matchup in the quarterfinals.

Sommet (6-5) and JT Jaguars (5-6) have not looked as good as they did last season, a direct effect of the squad changes they made in the offseason. It is not clear whether either side will go up or down in the second round, but reports of Sommet cutting ties with their foreign crew and turning the focus to young blood do not bode well for a strong second round.

Victoria Crocs (5-6) look like they will survive relegation again, while the bottom four sides—UPDF Tomahawks (3-8), JKL Dolphins (2-9), UMU Flames (2-9), and Kampala Rockets (2-9)—look set to fight for survival.

At any rate, there is a lot to play for in the NBL second round. And with it, a lot of surprises, headlines and changes to come.