Uganda to host Zone 5 basketball club championship

PIC: City Oilers are the defending champions. Here, they are seen receiving the FUBA league trophy from FUBA president Ambrose Tashobya at Lugogo on January 14 2017. (Credit: Michael Nsubuga)

EVENT: 2017 FIBA Africa Zone V Club Basketball Championship

HOST: Uganda

WHEN: October

The Federation of Uganda Basketball Association (FUBA) and Uganda at large will be looking forward to hosting the 2017 FIBA Zone 5 Basketball Club Championship in October.

This followed a formal board meeting held in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

FUBA president Ambrose Tashyobya told New Vision that the federation intends to make earlier preparations for the event to avoid any inconveniences. 

"A month before October, we will be having our national team (Silverbacks) for the AfroBasket finals in Congo Brazzaville. So to avoid any last minute preparations, we plan on organizing for the club championships alongside the AfroBasket finals."

This edition will be the third time that Uganda hosts the event - previously hosting it in 2009 (when it changed from East and Central club championships to Zone 5) and later in 2013.

Before change of name, Uganda had hosted the championships in 2001 when John Ssimbwa's Falcons won it.  In 2009, Uganda's Pemba Warriors lost the championship title in the finals while in 2013 Betway Power were eliminated at the semifinals.

Uganda's City Oilers are the defending champions in the men's category while Kenya's KPA won last year's women's championships in Dar-el-salam, Tanzania.

The Oilers defeated Kenya's Ulinzi 72-46 in 2016 to claim the regional title.  While in the women's category KPA topped the table with a 72-27 victory over then-Timothy Odeke's KCCA Leopards.

The2016 victory saw City Oilers become the second Ugandan team to win the regional basketball championship.