Sommet has lost 3 games in a row so far despite having their mid-season signings available. Their most recent defeat was a catastrophic second half collapse against the UCU Canons. The Spartans led the game 32-17 at the halftime break but were outscored 50-23 in the second half. They also missed all their 14 3-point attempts in the second half.

Before this game, Sommet lost to the Victoria Crocs 44-59. This was the second lowest number of points they have scored in a game this season and it was an underwhelming performance. Before that, they had fallen to the Rezlife Saints, 70-65.

These 3 games have showed us a bit of what Sommet is like and thus the question; Is Sommet better or worse?

The answer to this question is not a straight yes or no and we shall tackle it in 2 parts. We shall discuss the expectations, first round, the signings, and the second round of the team. However, before that, we shall go into a bit of history.

History

In 2024 FUBA Division One season, Sommet was eliminated by the UMU Flames in the quarterfinals. However, after trouble befell Our Savior, there was a void left in the NBL and Sommet joined the 2025 NBL through the back door.

At that time, there was little time to make top signings and most players had committed to their teams as the season had been less than 3 weeks away. Consequently, they had a losing, 5-6 record after the first round, and were in the discussion for relegation.

However, in the second round, they made top signings. Sommet added Franck Nyembo, Kaesereka Tembo and Peter Cheng. The trio was very productive and managed to finish as the number three seed after the regular season. They swept the KCCA Panthers in the quarterfinals and went toe-to-toe with the City Oilers in a semi-final series that was decided in game 5.

After this success, the only was up for Sommet, and many thought that would be the case. However, the team has been far from what is expected so far in the 2026 season. This has mainly been because of a number of reasons.

2026 First Round

Coming into the 2026 season, there was a lot of activity in the Sommet camp. They released most of their players and stayed with just 4 players namely; Andrew Ssendawula, Peter Cheng, Opira Markey, and John Focus Teko.

Sommet also made multiple new signings namely; Mathew Kisakye, Brighton Galiwango, Mark Mayanja, Joseph Chuma, Ahmed Kassa, Odongo Lucky, Mongo Stephane, Karabana Diaw, Emilagba Abolahji, and Hugo Kaseya.

With this, the continuity from the 2025 season was not going to be there but there was optimism that the team could be among the top performers just like they had been in the 2025 second round. Despite there being such optimism, there was a big question that Sommet had to answer. Was that team better than the team in 2025 second round?

On paper, the answer was yes but on the court, the answer was different. Sommet had a 6-5 record that was decent but not close to what was expected. The biggest disappointment was the molestation they got when they face the Namuwongo Blazers. Sommet lost the game 82-41, but it felt like it was boys against men. The gap between the two teams was so big and this showed the levels where both teams were.

Some of the problems that Sommet faced was the adaptation by the International players. At times, they looked like they weren’t on the same page with the rest of the team. Also, the coaches failed to assign roles and a hierarchy. One time it was Ssendawula as the one, the other it was Emilagba, then Brighton, then Mathew. It was never clear at any one point who was the starting number one, two or three.

Also, the order of who was supposed to do what, when. In the game they faced against the City Oilers, Sommet had the chance to win but Emilagba went in hero mode and ultimately cost the team as he made 3 turnovers in clutch time.

Diaw was also not as productive as he averaged only 6 points in the 21 average minutes played. Teko, who averaged 4 less minutes than Diaw, scored more than Diaw and it made no sense to retain Diaw if his production was not as high.

Kaseya averaged 8.2 points but the rate rate at which he was missing was alarming. the man was missing layups for fun and he converted just 25% from the field.

2026 signings

Given that the international players weren’t performing as expected and that they were on higher wages, it was expected for the team to let go of them. Besides, Sommet already had 4 foreign players and in order to add others, they had to release some.

As thus, all the 3; Diaw, Emilagba, and Kaseya were released. The team signed Gatwang Thuok, and Puati Ozias Kikomba plus Ainembabazi Darren, a Ugandan who had been in the United Kingdom.

In the first game of the second round, both Gatwang and Ozias played despite having had just one training session with the team. Ozias managed to pick 11 rebounds plus 6 points while Gatwang had 5 points. In the next game against the Kampala Rockets, Gatwang scored 15 points and provided 4 assists while Ozias registered 6 points and 9 rebounds.

In the next 3 games, their production has been low. Sommet has lost all the 3 games but the performance of their new signings has also been suspect. Gatwang has scored just 1 field goal in his last 13 attempts and hasn’t assisted, rebounded, stolen or registered a block in the last 2 games.

Ozias has put up some numbers but given the team’s low performance, more is needed from him. He has averaged 7 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Ainembabzi Darren made his debut against the UCU canons and he dropped 5 points and 5 rebounds.

Is Sommet better or worse?

When you asses where Sommet was in the 2025 NBL second round and where they are currently, the two points seems to be so far apart. The quality has significantly dropped and the confidence in the team is low. Even the fan base that had been built, they seem to have slowed down. The fans don’t come as they used, to support their team.

One of the biggest causes for this was the release of the multiple players. A player like Mark Ngobi, who had been second on the top scorers list, left a huge hole. Franck Nyembo was a beast for Sommet but he was also not retained because of finances. However, one can argue that given what he had shown, he had showed his worth. Kasereka Tembo was very instrumental for Sommet in the second round and his departure left a huge hole.

Sommet has already lost more games in the second round (3) in 5 games than they did (2) in the entire second round (11 games) of the 2025 season.

To make matters worse, they are yet to face the top two teams, City Oilers and the Namuwongo Blazers. Currently, they have an 8-8 record and will most likely finish between 5th and 7th.

Can they challenge for the title?