KAMPALA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers) – Uganda head coach Mandy Juruni is a man full of ambition.

If for nothing else, the Silverbacks tactician says he wants posterity to remember him for taking Uganda basketball to another level.

Juruni insists that Uganda before now never dreamt of playing in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers.

“I must confess that as a country, Uganda is excited to be among the big nations in Africa today competing at this level. Being in the World Cup Qualifiers for us is a dream come true and a big plus for the game in the country because it has opened doors for our players to compete and grow,” he told FIBA.basketball.

“WE’RE READY TO COMPETE AND IT’S A BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR US ALL SUCH THAT WE CANNOT AFFORD TO TOY WITH OUR CHANCE OF MOVING INTO THE NEXT ROUND.” - Juruni

Last month, Uganda came up with a 1-2 record in the first-leg of the African Qualifiers in Group B including Nigeria, Mali and rivals Rwanda.

And Juruni, who is also the head coach of Ugandan side Kampala City Oilers, said that his side will be a major contender in the June-July window.

“We’re ready to compete and it’s a big opportunity for us all such that we cannot afford to toy with our chance of moving into the next round.”

The 51-year-old tactician said that he has drawn a lot of lessons by coaching the Oilers at the FIBA Africa Champions Cup 2016 in Cairo, Egypt, and with the experiences he has garnered at the FIBA AfroBasket 2015 and 2017, he has a good understanding of basketball on the continent.

While believing that his players would rise up to the occasion in June-July, Juruni is of the opinion that Uganda can find the right mix of players that would better their performance in Bamako.

“The World Cup Qualifiers means different things to me because aside from having been to two AfroBaskets, I also want to leave a mark as the coach who is responsible for making the game more attractive especially to the younger players because right now in Uganda, our major problem is that we don’t have players playing at an early age,” he explained.

“There’s a need to get them to compete in an organized structure as it would help build their discipline. When this is achieved, Uganda can now become a regular feature at major championships on the continent,” Juruni concluded.

FIBA