With the 2023 Fiba Women’s Afrobasket well behind our backs,we take a look back at which players stood out the most for Uganda’s Gazelles.

It is to be remembered that Gazelles acquired their best ever finish 7th, at the Afrobasket tournament. A look at history indicates that the Gazelles have gradually but steadily posted improved results at every Afrobasket they have played in.

In their first participation in 1997 in Kenya, the team lost all their games by alarming margins,going down 117‐36 versus Kenya,140‐31 against Mali,150-45 to Senegal and 122-57 to Cameroon.

They put up a much better performance winning 2 games in 2015,beating South Africa 55:43 and a getting a 75:73 victory against Algeria to finish 10th in that edition.

The Gazelles aimed to reach higher in the 2023 edition,being especially bouyed by their realization that they had more quality than ever before.

Uganda played 6 games,winning half and losing the other. The biggest victory came against the 11 time Champions, Senegal in the second group game which went down to the wire.

The win against Congo was also historic,as it meant that the ladies qualified to the quarter finals for the very first time in history

Finally, the Gazelles concluded their tourney with a massive win against Guinea which placed them 7th in the tournament,their highest ever finish.

The best player for the Gazelles is undoubtedly Janon Otto and it was no surprise to see her named in the team of the tournament. She was the most consistent shooter for the Gazelles and indeed in the entire tournament.

She averaged 35 minutes, scoring 21.3 points 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. She also had a 41.5% FG percentage and scored the most 3 points (7) shots for Uganda.

Jane Asinde was another to have an outstanding campaign for the Gazelles and she was dearly missed against Mozambique,after she sustained an injury during the second quarter of the game against Rwanda.

After a below par showing in the opener against Mali,Asinde turned up very big against Senegal scoring 20 points on 53.3% FG, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. She then had a more than decent remainder of the tournament.

Per game, she averaged 13 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 steals and 22.5,appearing five times in total. She was the most efficient player from deep,scoring 7,with a 42.9 % 3P.

The biggest revelation for the Gazelles was 18 year old Lydia Babirye who took to the competition like a duck to water,playing with fearlessness that belied her years.

Originally not a starter, she got her big break in the victory against Senegal, coming up clutch and showing composure on the Free Throw line, which gave Uganda the win. She played 24 minutes and scored 11 points.

However, her magical performance came in the next game against DR Congo where she registered an eyebrow raising 11 assists,7 points and 4 rebounds.

She then had a tough time against Rwanda,as she registered 0 points and 8 turnovers as Uganda’s hopes for further progression were dashed. She however showed resilience to bounce back against Mozambique,playing 37 minutes and posting 12 points and 3 assists.

All in all,Babirye averaged 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game across the tournament.

Mellisa Akullu was the most dominant player off the glass for the Gazelles,averaging 9.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals. She was also the most efficient scorer with 52.3% FG.

Her biggest game came against Rwanda where she registered a double double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Despite joining the team 2 days before they set off, Clare Lamunu showed that class is permanent as she came up big for her side. She posted 8.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. She also averaged 21.3 mins and shot an impressive 52.4% from the field.

Her best game was against Congo where she posted a double double with 12 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal amd 3 blocks.

Hope Akello came up big off the bench with 5.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 1.3 SPG. Her 2 big games were against Guinea (9 pts, 11 rebs, 3 ast, 4 stls) and Congo (6 pts, 11 rebs, 2 stls).

It ought to be known that the Gazelles have an average age of 24.Given that it was the first time they played together on a big stage, the future appears to be promising for Uganda.If the players continue to develop individually and they also manage to get more chemistry as a unit,Uganda could very well become a contender on the continent.

Are local based players not good enough?

During the tournament one of the things that stood out was the less time played by the “local based players”.

Ritah Imanishimwe and Evelyne Nakiyingi were the most affected playing just 2 of the 6 games and playing just 20 and 19 mins respectively.

Hope Akello was the most used player of the 5 with 20.1 minutes while Flavia Oketcho (17.5) and Brenda Ekone (11.1)

However, it is also important to note that despite the less time, when given an opportunity, the players did not show enough to make a case for more time on the court.

The 5 combined scored just 75 points, in the whole tournament with Akello scoring 34 of them.

They scored 24/92, 26%FG while it was worse from deep with 4/29, 14 % 3P. The ball handling was worse, with 46 of the 153 team turnovers.

The big question remains, what happened with our “local based players”? Was it stage fright? Is the quality just low? What went wrong?

That should not be allowed to distract from the fact that Uganda still had a great tournament,with the future boding well.

All photos 📸 Toni Kamau / FUBA