Between playing at the first round of the Road to Bal and flying to Nairobi, Kenya, for the Elite 16, Namuwongo Blazers had a small matter of dethroning City Oilers back home.
The Blazers dag themselves out of a 2-0 deficit to win the best-of-seven series 4-2.
That victory ended Oilers’ decade long dominance and the Blazers are now looking encroach on more territory that was previously occupied by the dictator.
At the Elite 16 in Nairobi, the Blazers will be looking to book a ticket to the Basketball Africa League, where the Oilers twice represented Uganda.
The tournament is scheduled to tip off Tuesday and run up to Sunday at the Kasarani Indoor Gymnasium.
To the team that won one and lost one in Tanzania, the Balzers have added American point guard James Jovan Mooring and Senegalese center Sidy Muhammed Djitte.
Mooring played college basketball at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, South Suburban College, and Lamar State College before embarking on his professional career that includes stints in Georgia, North Macedonia, and the NBA G League with Santa Cruz Warriors.
He also comes into the team with BAL experience, having played for South Africa’s MBB Basketball Club.
Djitte also played college basketball at Clemson University and went on to have pro stints in Australia and Croatia.
He will give the Blazers crucial paint presence. Bereal Jackson Ray, who played a big part in the first round, also returns to finish what he started.
Also in the team is Tonny Drileba, who could only take up coaching duties in the first round due to a nagging injury.
With that quality and experience, the Blazers will fancy their chances of making their BAL dream come true.
Stephen Nyeko’s troups find themselves in the same pool with hosts Nairobi City Thunder, who featured at the BAL for the first time.
The other team in the pool is South Africa’s Johannesburg Giants. Only the finalists will qualify for Africa’s premier club competition.
Dar City (Tanzania), Matero Magic (Zambia), Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique), and Brave Hearts (Malawi) form Group B.
For starters, the Ugandan champions will have to be in the top two to qualify for the semifinals, from which the two winners will book their BAL tickets.
Namuwongo Blazers team
Jimmy Enabu, Tonny Drileba, Joel Lukoji Banza, James Okello, Arthur Wanyoto, Ivan Muhwezi, Innocent Ochera, Moses Mugisha, Peter Obleng, Anthony Chukwurah, Jayson Bereal Jr., Jovan James Mooring, Sidy Djitte, Muhumuza Mutumwa.