Silverbacks Silently Return, 12 Nations Book Slots At Afrobasket
FUBA photo
Uganda’s National basketball team returned home from Monastir, Tunisia on Sunday following sad fortunes at 2021 second window of the Afrobasket Qualifiers.
Uganda had their games postponed after five members of the delegation tested positive to Covid19.
Team Manager Albert Ahabwe earlier said that they were ready to play with the available players but FIBA insisted that they should vacate the bubble with immediate effect not to put the healthy of other participants in danger.
The first batch is already in the country and another will return when they test negative.
One player is expected to arrive in the country today (Monday), a close source has confirmed.
It is alleged that point guard Ben Komakech tested positive when the team arrived in Monastir.
Caesar Kizito and Joseph Ikong are among the players who remained in Tunisia.
FUBA is expected to issue a full detailed statement about the events in Tunisia when the dust settles.
Uganda was set to play Egypt on February 18, Morocco on February 20 and Cape Verde on February 21.
FIBA said that the status of those games will be decided at a later stage, and will hence continue to monitor the situation before making a final decision.
Uganda had finished second in Group E after the first window and are now bottom of the group after the other games were played. Egypt sealed their place with a game to spare.
12 More Nations Join Hosts Rwanda
The 2021 Afrobasket championship has taken shape after the conclusion of the final window of qualifiers.
Uganda’s Group E and Group C are yet to be fully decided.
In Group C, Equatorial Guinea saw their game against Cameroon postponed – FIBA said that the EQ Guinea delegation arrived late in Yaounde which didn’t allow sufficient time to receive the required Covid19 tests.
As it stands, 13 countries have confirmed their place at the finals, including hosts Rwanda – Three more tickets (two from Group E and one from Group C) are still up for grabs.
Group E Log;
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Egypt (Q) | 5 | 5 | 0 | 464 | 359 | +105 | 10 |
| 2 |  Cape Verde | 5 | 1 | 4 | 394 | 431 | −37 | 6 |
| 3 |  Morocco | 5 | 1 | 4 | 370 | 426 | −56 | 6 |
| 4 |  Uganda | 3 | 2 | 1 | 272 | 284 | −12 | 5 |
The championship, due September 24 to August 5, will be the 30th edition of Afrobasket.
Kenya made a return to continental showpiece for the first time in 28 years thanks to their stunning 74-73 win over record winners Angola
South Sudan defied odds to qualify for their debut tournament but its Tunisia, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Egypt who will take the headlines after qualifying without losing a game.
Rwanda was the first team to qualify, achieving the fate due of their host status.
The format had three teams qualify from each of the five groups. A total of 15 teams were required to join hosts Rwanda to total 16.
The Qualified Teams from the five respective groups:
Group A – Tunisia, DR Congo, Central Africa Republic
Group B – Senegal, Angola, Kenya
Group C – Ivory Coast, Cameroon
Group D – Nigeria, South Sudan, Mali
Group E – Egypt
