Ugandan Rookie comes up Big in Debut!

Silverbacks ride Kaluma’s Performance to Afrobasket 21.

Fun discussions here. That is one good reason to enjoy the summer. It will be very entertaining to see how Coach Mandy Juruni addresses this ongoing success. AfroBasket appearances, 2. Is the 3rd trip a charm? Coach had stressed ongoing improvements and an openess for players to make the team since last winter.

#Fubatalks || #Afrobasketqualifiers
FullTime
Uganda 🇺🇬 7️⃣7️⃣Vs 6️⃣5️⃣ Morocco 🇲🇦
1️⃣2️⃣ Point WIN
4games || 1 loss || 3wins
WELL DESERVED ✌️🦍🇺🇬 @AfroBasket Here we come💪🏀
Special thanks to all the Silverbacks 🦍🇺🇬, coaching staff & fans all over the world #BeastsfromtheEast pic.twitter.com/9iNWo8VPKu
— FUBA (@FubaBasketball) July 8, 2021

Silverbacks move on to Afrobasket 21…

Uganda moves on to Afrobasket 21 on the back of rookie forward Arthur Kaluma. Kaluma, 18 y/o, is newly joining the national team for his 1st tour. He came off the bench to lead the Silverbacks to victory. Kaluma has been preparatory (HS) schooling in the USA and will debut at the collegiate level with Creighton University @bluejayMBB come November 2021 in the USA. Well done Arthur, well done, indeed!

As for the Silverbacks, the teams in this group of note were Egypt…#60 worldwide/#6 in Africa and Morocco -#69WW/#7 Africa. Morocco has owned Uganda in recent years. However, the Silverbacks made it 2 in a row after also winning last November.

Arthur, the team rookie, came off the bench to strut his stuff. His talley included: 20 points/5 rebounds/2 steals in his debut. This is the 3rd consecutive AfroBasket tourney for Uganda (showing consistent improvement) under Coach Juruni’s tutelage.

Uganda, with the win, qualifies for Afrobasket 21. The Silverbacks will now join Group D alongside former African champions Senegal, Cameroon, and debutants South Sudan; while Cape Verde join Group A alongside hosts Rwanda, 11-time record African champions Angola, and DR Congo. Group D appears to be the tougher bracket.