Nampungu is ready to test professional waters

Jul 15, 2020

She has already claimed two national league titles with NIC in addition to the East African crown

Joan Nampungu received her first netball scholarship in primary five. Little did her parents know they would never spend another dime on their gifted daughter's school fees.

Now in the final semester of her three-year Bachelor's degree in records and information management at Nkumba University, Nampungu proudly reflects on a special reward characteristic of a life-long affair with netball. 

"After getting that bursary in P.5, my goal was to complete the rest of my education without paying fees and by the grace of God, I'm nearly there," Nampungu tells New Vision Sport in this exclusive interview.

Nampungu's next big challenge is to fill the shoes of her idol, mentor, and friend Lilian Ajio in the national team, an expectation that provokes mixed feelings in the youngster.

"I feel good about taking over from Ajio because she is one of the two Ugandan players who inspired me to play netball," Nampungu reveals.

"And I have always told her, 'You are my idol'. She has been my best friend and teacher. I would go to her every time for directions. When she retired the news shocked me and I'm going to miss her. When we played together for the national team, we had a very tight defence."

Ajio's retirement from the She Cranes was forced by a foot injury that required more treatment than she could afford and expected in vain from the Uganda Netball Federation.

The legendary She Cranes defender's retirement is, however, part of an ongoing purge of Uganda's golden generation, which has seen stars like Rachel Nanyonga also sidelined.

The baton, rightly or otherwise, has been passed to Nampungu and Co.

Skipper for the future

But Nampungu has had all her life to prepare for whatever responsibilities she will be asked of as a She Crane. The U-21 national captain is tipped to take over as skipper when Peace Proscovia calls it day, which is not very far from now. It's safe to say Nampungu even wants the role.

"Since my primary, I have been team captain," she explains. "Even right now when Peace is not around, I was the person who was helping Ajio."

Joan Nampungu (right) tries to block KCCA's Shaddiah Nassanga during a league game at Namboole. Photo by David Namunyala

Nampungu adds, " Leadership is good but it has its challenges at the same time. Sometimes you find hardship commanding some players. But I think I have always been chosen as captain because I'm always serious, I respect people, even though you are my agemate and I'm a person who does everything on my own - I don't want to be forced".

From ball girl to national star

Voluntarily Nampungu started her netball career.

"My father inspired me to play netball," she recalls, "Our home was next to the netball court on Natete playground. By that time my dad (Sebakigye Ssazzi) was still a coach. I could go there and be the ball girl. I started playing like that."

By her Primary six, Nampungu was good enough to represent Mackay Memorial PS at the 2009 national netball championships in Arua. Her combination of size and skill caught the attention of scouts, not least the revered Rashid Mubiru. The latter advised his friend to take her daughter to St Mary's Kitende for her secondary education.

"But I didn't want Kitende," Nampungu explains. "I preferred Budo SS. But my father knew so much about the school so he sent me for trials there."

Hesistant, Nampungu showed up on the last day of the trials... but still impressed.

"We were 10 and my name came back as the first on the list," explains the talent, who was actually recruited as a shooter.

"My heart was not happy even though they gave me a scholarship there," Nampungu recalls. "And the first term was very harsh on me; I was not used to secondary school life."

Kitende tales

Nampungu's baptism of fire was launched by her initiation to the school netball team, to be precise in her very first session.

"My first training, people almost killed me. There's a girl who bumped into my stomach and I almost fainted. I was like 'will I manage'?

"So, when I returned home for the holidays, I trained so hard. I didn't miss any day of training with my home team, which was called Mustard Seed. I had to 'beat' that girl who had bumped into me. When I returned for the second term, I was very hard to pass by. The coaches said this girl is very, very good so they shifted me to goal defence. Ever since then I have never gone back to shooting. Now I don't even know how to shoot the ball."

At Kitende, Nampungu would go on to lift four national schools, netball titles, and six East African schools' championships. In 2014 she was selected to represent Uganda at the U-18 Africa netball showpiece, a tournament that ended in ultimate victory for Uganda and remains unforgettable for Nampungu.

"The day I was selected to that team is the highlight of my career," says Nampungu. "I was very excited and that thing pushed me to work even harder and struggle."

Three years later she was toasting to victory in the World University Championships, held in Kampala.

Flying with the Cranes

In 2018, Nampungu received her senior call-up, making her debut for the She Cranes in a friendly against Barbados.

"It was a nice game for me," Nampungu remembers. "They gave me a chance and I utilised it. Maybe that's the game that even made me go to the Commonwealth Games. I played with all my heart."

After the Commonwealth Games, Nampungu was selected for the biggest event of all - the World Cup.

"I met all the players I admire during the World Cup," Nampungu reveals. "I would get two or three minutes to talk to them. The World Cup is my best tournament yet even though I didn't play much. It exposed me to a new experience and now I know what I can do".

The 2019 World Cup taught Nampungu many things but especially the value of team-work.

She explains: "Netball is a team sport. As a team, you have to be one. If you have differences in the team, you can't win".

Nampungu has had multiple opportunities to validate the benefits of collaboration during a sports quest that features experiments with basketball and handball.

"I started playing basketball in my Form 5 at Kitende in 2015," Nampungu reveals. "I was among the team that won the nationals in Mbarara in 2015. I started playing handball at the university. I have played it for two years now."

Career dream

Nampungu's future, however, is clearly in netball, which the youngster hopes ends up in a professional career at some point.

"Every sportsperson wants to be a professional, so that's my main career goal," she says.

Nampungu has already claimed two national league titles with NIC in addition to the East African crown, so in that sense, she has little left to prove at home. How long the coveted breakthrough to the professional ranks will take to materialise is anybody's guess but if one club can help make it happen, it's NIC. Peace Proscovia and Mary Nuba all went through NIC before moving to England and that sort of capital matters in the player-market. 

Nampungu's tender age is another asset. She is so young that when asked if she is in a relationship, Nampungu bashfully responds, "Don't ask those questions now!"

As if there is anything secret about her life-long love affair with...netball!

Fact file

Name: Joan Nampungu

Education: Mackay Memorial PS, St. Mary's Kitende SS, Nkumba University; third-year student of BA of records and information management

Sport: Netball

Teams: She Cranes, NIC, Police

Position: Goal defence

Accolades: 2018 Africa Netball Champion, 2019 Africa Netball first runner's up, 2017 World University Champion, 2014 U-18 African champion, 2019 East Africa netball champion, 2017 and 2019 national netball champion. Also featured at 2019 INF World Cup and 2018 Commonwealth Games

Idols: Betty Namukasa and Lilian Ajio

Favourite meal: Posho and beans

Favourite artist: Julian Kanyomozi

Favourite TV show: Twist of fate

Highlight: Selection to Uganda's squad for the 2014 U-18 Africa netball championships

Worst moment: Damaging right knee in 2015  

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