The Nkumba Lady Marines got a harsh welcome after their return to the NBL.

In their first game of the season, they conceded 104 points against the KCCA Leopards with 43 of those coming in the fourth quarter.

Since that time, it’s as though they are still experiencing PTSD.

The results of the team have been very far from convincing and with their 0 wins in 10 games, they are the main candidate for the axe.

One important thing to note is the absence of Privas Kayeny who is their X factor.

During the 2024 FUBA Division One season, we saw how much of an impact she has when she plays and her absence made Nkumba look ordinary.

Fast forward to 2025, the Netball league resumed and for that reason and others, she hasn’t played much, just 4 games.

Nonetheless, she’s sixth in scoring (56), second in rebounds (47), third in steals (11), and first in blocks (4).

Her impact is huge and every time she misses, Nkumba has struggled a lot.

In all the games she played, Nkumba has tried to compete and the losing margin has been less than 20, with the exception of the game against JKL Lady Dolphins.

Most of the other games, Nkumba has been blowed out, losing by more than 25 points with the exception of the Magic Stormers game.

Back to the main point, Can Nkumba Lady Marines survive?

Technically, they have a chance but they would need a miraculous second round.

Ideally, Nkumba would need about 5 wins to have a chance but where would those wins come from.

It is very hard to see them defeating the top teams, KCCA, JKL, UCU, JT, and if they lose all those, they would have 6 more games to potentially get wins.

If they think they have a chance of winning, they will have to play like it’s a final in the remaining games.

At the moment, the teams closely above them are Nabisunsa with 2 wins and Angels with 3, after adding the 2 walkovers against UCU.

The first order of business for Nkumba should be to defeat these 2 teams but they have a difficult task ahead of them.

The first 4 four that Nkumba play in the second round, 3 of those teams are in the top 4.

If they lose their first 2 games, I think their season will be done.

We don’t expect any transfer from Nkumba as they already have a full 18-mam squad and looks like in every area, they need to improve.

Facts

Nkumba has scored the second least points, 472, (47.2 ppg) and have conceded the most, 767, (76.7).

They need to improve in all areas and maybe if they can get a win in their first game, they will have hope.

The Lady Marines have conceded 100+ points in 2 games, the most in the league.

They are the only team not to have scored at least 60 points in a game this season.

Nkumba Lady Marines start their second round with a game against the KIU Rangers on Saturday 2nd at YMCA.