Blicks lead Powerful D-Mark attack

By Charles Mutebi

FUBA League kick-off
Tomorrow
Men
Power v Falcons (8.30pm)
Warriors v Canons (5.30pm)
Canons v A1 (7pm)

THE Blick era at Power starts tomorrow at YMCA Wandegeya when champions Power clash with the Mogas Falcons in the opening round of the 2009 basketball league season.

Brothers Norman and Donna Blick were multi-million signings by D-Mark Power and there’s little doubt the pair will make what was already the strongest team in the league, even more fearsome.

The two led the Nkumba Marines to back-to-back men’s titles from 2005, four years after guiding the Sky Jammers to unprecedented glory. That they have joined a side which was still growing seems ominous for the rest of the top flight.
“We are going to walk the walk starting this Friday,” asserted Power technical director Peter Mubanda. “The only thing that can stop us from winning the championship this year is injuries.”

Power’s starting line-up which defeated the Falcons 3-1 in last year’s best-of-five final series had four players ––Isaac Afidra, David Kiberu, Joseph Ikong and Ben Komakech –– who had only joined the club that year. Now, the Blick brothers and rookies Michael Kojo and Lecester Lutara have also come on board.

It’s a team with strength in depth but also the potential for ego-tripping as well. “I’m not going to lie, there’s bound to be a clash of egos,” Mubanda acknowledged, before adding, “but my job is to massage them and make the players focus on winning the championship.”

For their part, the Falcons have stayed under the radar in the transfer market, a situation that according to captain Eric Malinga, suits them.

“People don’t know what’s happening with the Falcons and I’d like to keep it that way,” Malinga cautioned. “We will definitely unveil our signings but until we finalise the details I can’t say (who’s joining Falcons).”

As to whether the Falcons, along with the rest of the league, should dismiss any title ambitions, Malinga cautioned, “You know it’s funny but in sports you might look good on paper when you are actually not that good when it comes to the real task.”

“Falcons, he pointed out, “will remain Falcons.”