Uganda Christian University men and women set off for the FISU University 3×3 World Cup which will be in Brazil.
The event is scheduled for 14th to 16th November in Brasíla, Federal District.
UCU men qualified for this event after defeating University of Rwanda 21-19 in the semi-finals of the 7th Afro Varsity 3×3 Basketball.
They went on to defend their title after edging USIU Tigers 21-19, in a very tense finale.
The Men are in Pool D with University of Puerto Rico and Huaqiao University from China.
UCU Women went toe-to-toe with Cote d’Ivoire’s AS INJS in the semi-finals of the 7th Afro Varsity 3×3 Basketball but managed to win, 20-17.
That victory saw them qualify for the World Cup but just like the men, they went ahead to defend their title, defeating USIU 19-15 in the finale.
The women are in Pool A with University of Chile and University of Seville from Spain.
Format
There are 3 teams per pool. The top team in the group stages automatically advances to the quarter-finals.
The number 2 and 3 teams face off with number 3 and 2 teams from other pools.
The winners in that playoff game then advance to play in the quarter-finals.
Players
Men
- Joel Kayiira
- Flore Dushime Chris
- Amara Ariho
- Daniel Muganzi
Women
- Shillah Lamunu
- Martina Alexis Anyango
- Tracy Namugosa
- Sylvia Nantongo
History
Uganda Christian University, men and women, have been at 3 of the last 4 FISU 3×3 World Cups.
Men
On their debut in 2019, the men won 1 of their 3 games.
However, they were very competitive, put up a fight in every game and averaged 19.3 points.
Their only victory came against University of Otago from New Zealand.
In 2022, they made history. They won 2 of 3 games in the group stages and advanced to the quarter-finals.
However, they fell short, losing to ITESM (Mexico) in the quarter-finals by 1 point.
In 2024, they lost all their 3 games and averaged 11 points.
Women
On their debut in 2015, UCU did not win any game but averaged 13.3 points.
In 2019, UCU won one of their three games and averaged 9.7 points.
Their only victory came against University of Chile.
In 2022, the women lost all their 3 games and averaged 11.7 points.
The same followed in 2024 where they lost all their 3 games and averaged 11 points.
Hope for the teams
There is a lot of hope more so for the ladies.
Shillah Lamunu and Martina Anyango have played at the U23 World Cup, 3×3 Women’s Series and Youth Nations League this year alone.
They have garnered so much experience and it will come in handy.
Secondly, Tracy Namugosa played at the 2024 3×3 FISU World Cup. She’s also not knew to such a stage and the experience she has could be helpful.
For the men, Joel Kayiira is the only one who has been on this stage before.
He ought to use his experience to lead the team.
A lot of eyes will be watching the UCU men and women.
Can the ladies make it to the quarter-finals for the first time?
Will the men be able to better the performance of 2022?
Schedule (15th November)
Women
UCU vs University of Seville 4:00 PM EAT
UCU vs University of Chile 9:00 PM EAT
Men
UCU vs University of Huaqiao, 7:05 PM
UCU vs University of Puerto Rico, 10:15 PM
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