The Makerere Sparks climaxed their Fuba Div 1 season on a high despite losing their final game against Lady Jills.

The team fielded only 5 players on the day and led the game all the way till the 3rd quarter when their star player “Patricia Lydia Nakyanzi” got muscle cramps and were forced to play with only 4 players for more than 10 minutes.

The Lady Jills thus used this opportunity and closed the game out in the fourth quarter.

You could be wondering, why did i use the phrase “climaxed on a high” yet the team lost the game.

First and foremost, the Sparks have only managed to get 2 wins in the whole season and both came against Seeta High. This goes to show you how bad things have been for them and this is down to a number of reasons.

To start the season, the Sparks lost about 10 of their players including their previous Captain. This was a very big blow for the side as what they had built all went down the drain and they had to rebuild.

In the process of rebuilding, they registered many players who were not as committed and this killed them even more. The team resorted to just playing “pick up” on game day and to make it worse, even the player availability wasn’t confirmed until one showed up at the venue.

The coaching situation was also a big factor more so in the first round and about half of the second. The Coach who had been in charge the previous season seemed to have stepped down and no new coach was announced till the arrival of Coach Mavita. This further killed the team, as they were very disorganized and their basketball lacked direction.

The arrival of Coach Ali Mavita however seemed to spark something within the players and the Makerere Sparks might have a magical next season.

In the six games she’s coached since her arrival, the Sparks lost all but, the growth in their game has been nothing short of phenomenal and their trajectory is only upwards.

To this into context, only 6 players have been available for selection so far for her and theirs not much she could do to change results significantly in such a short time due to the thinness of the squad and the readiness of the available players.

The Coach went back to basketball basics, the pass and cut, dribble hand off, lay ups, pocket pass, dribbling, passing, setting screens, 1v1 defense and so much more. This was a reminder to the girls of how easily the game is played and how to avoid making things complicated.

A new Culture with Respect at the center has also been seen around the squad. The Coach brought a few new rules like, “if you don’t train, you don’t play”, “you must arrive an hour early on game day”, “you have to come in time for practice” and so much more.

At first, the players seemed uncomfortable but they have adjusted accordingly. As seen that the coaches tactics are working well so far, they have to adhere even more to what the coach says so as to improve their game.

Makerere Sparks will be having tryouts for new players to choose those that will represent the team in the league next season and also those that will play for the University team in the upcoming University games.

A special mention to players Patricia Lydia Nakyanzi, Nambooze Kimberly Sarah, Nakiryowa Belindah, Madalen Ayak, Ndibalekera Rebecca and Ainembabazi Patience who have been their for all the games since Coach arrived and helped the team finish the season successfully.

Coach Kasule Simon has also been an integral part of the Sparks season as he stepped up in the absence of a coach and he’s also been assisting Coach Mavita both in training and Game days.

If the core (above players) can manage to stay with the team, and with the addition of key pieces, the Makerere Sparks could light up the women’s Fuba Div 1.

I am also looking to host Coach Ali Mavita and the Captain on a podcast, so keep checking out all the updates about Makerere Sparks.