The Uganda U21 3×3 teams are set to participate at the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League in Monastir, Tunisia. The tournament, which consists of 6 stops, will take place from 3rd -9rd August with 12 teams participating (6 men and 6 women). Team Uganda is expected to fly out on Saturday 1st August with 12 total players on board.
Squads
Men
- Omara Emmanuel
- Kisakye Mathew
- Ekau Edrine
- GALIWANGO Brighton
- Makmot Aaron
- Birungi Shane/Shiima Ethan
Women
- Namale Sarah
- Atek Zoe
- Nanangwe Resty
- Mpoza Abigail
- Namayanja Bushira
- Namukwaya Mariam
Player History
Omara Emmanuel is the most experienced on the men’s squad. He was a part of the team that represented Uganda at the youth nations league in Benin in 2025. With that, he is expected to be the leader of this team on and off the floor.
Mathew Kisakye, Brighton Galiwango and Aaron Makmot have also represented the nation at the continental stage before. In 2023, they played at the U17 3×3 Africa Cup and qualified for the U18 World Cup. However, the 3×3 world cup coincided with the U18 Afrobasket in South Africa and thus the team never traveled. The trio have played together for a while and given the league experience, their confidence is very high.
Edrine Ekau has been the most electrifying player in the 2026 NBL. However, we have not seen a lot from him in the 3×3 format. With his skillset, IQ and marksmanship, he is expected to adapt quickly and perform for the Nation.
In the ladies, Sarah Namale played at the Youth Nations League in Benin in 2025. She will be expected to bring leadership and guidance to the rest of the squad. Mariam Namukwaya will be representing the nation for the first time.
Zoe Atek, Bushira Namayanja and Resty Nanangwe have all played for the Nation in the youth competitions. The trio, plus Maxine Anyango (God rest her soul), won the 2024 Mountain 3×3 tournament, defeating the then, senior National team that had played at the 3×3 Africa Cup. The trio has high IQ, skill and understanding of the 3×3 system. They will help Uganda a ton.
Mpoza Abigail has been one of the brightest youngsters in nation in the past couple of years. She was named the 2025 regular season NBL MVP and she has shown that she can execute at a high level. Mpoza has not played competitively in a while and most notably, she wasn’t part of the Nabisunsa 3×3 team that played at the Nationals in Gulu. However, she will be a valuable addition to this team.
Olympic Dream
All these efforts for Uganda are geared towards qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. To have a high ranking, your top highly ranked players must have players and performed well in high rated competitions. The Youth nations league is one of those highly ranked competitions and it will be a chance for Uganda to boost on their rankings.
Earlier in July, the U23 Women’s team managed to win the Youth Nations league in Mombasa, Kenya and qualified for the FIBA U23 World Cup. The U21 women have to make sure that they replicate such results as they put Uganda in a very good spot.
This is the most important competition
This FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League conference is problem the most important because all the teams (women) vying for the Olympics spot will be there. Uganda won the conference in Mombasa and Kenya was not very far behind them. However, in the southern conference, Egypt U21 team won, Madagascar was second while Algeria u21 came third.
In Monastir, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Algeria and Benin will all be participating. These are the top 5 ranked Nations in Africa and will all be looking to gain a substantial advantage over their rivals. The U21 team has to have this at the back of their mind and success will be winning at least 3 of the 6 stops.
Fixtures (3rd August)
Men
Uganda vs Algeria 7:25 pm
Uganda vs Benin 9:15 pm
Women
Uganda vs Tunisia 7:50 pm
Uganda vs Kenya 11:50 pm
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