TZ players set Uganda basketball league alight
KIU Titans’ Tanzanian player Sudi Ulanga (left) maneuvers his way past Uganda City Oilers’ player during a past national basketball league match in Kampala, Uganda. PHOTO| FILE
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But, such challenges have not diluted the players’ spirits, especially those eyeing greener pastures overseas.
Dar es Salaam. In the recent past, Tanzanian basketball teams have remained mere participants in international competitions mainly due to financial constraints and lack of exposure.
But, such challenges have not diluted the players’ spirits, especially those eyeing greener pastures overseas.
A host of Tanzanian basketballers are now playing professional basketball abroad. In Uganda, for instance, they have been key members of clubs competing in the Uganda National Basketball League. Players who are hitting the headlines in the Uganda basketball circuit include Mwalimu Heri and Sudi Ulanga – who feature for KIU Titans – and Fadhiri Chuma, who plays for UCU Canons.
Also on the list are those who set the Dar es Salaam Regional Basketball League (RBA) alight in the 1990s and early 2000s, such as Abadalla ‘Dulla’ Ramadhan, Mohamed Yusuf, Jacob Marenga and Sylvian Yunzu.
Ally Simon, who ‘plies his trade’ in Uganda with UCU Canons, says the Ugandan basketball league is among the best in East Africa – smugly noting that the game’s sponsors set aside hefty cash prizes for winners.
If nothing else, this makes the Uganda league “competitive and thrilling,” he says. “We normally play three league matches a day – which we see as NOT normal. But in return, it keeps players fit and well-drilled.”
According to Simon, Tanzanian players have been “very valuable” to their teams in Uganda because they are highly-skilled.
For his part, KIU Titans star Ulanga admits that he has improved his skills by far since joining the Uganda, club.
“The Uganda basketball league is tough. Teams that compete in the league boast formidable squads. I am among players who have benefited a lot by playing in that country,” he said.
Prior to moving to Uganda, Ulanga played for the Dar es Salaam-based ‘Vijana City,’ popularly known as ‘City Bulls.’
“I see a new dawn there – and, hopefully, it is from there that my long-cherished dream to play in the American Basketball Association League (NBA) will become a reality,” he says, grinning from ear to ear.
Ulanga is among the players who helped Mbeya Region in southern Tanzania clinch the National Basketball Championship title three times in the early 2000s.
