With the countdown to the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket fast approaching, the Uganda Gazelles are shifting focus to their next major phase of preparation; a three-week residential camp in Egypt starting this Friday.
The team, led by head coach Nicholas Natuhereza, will face continental opposition in friendly games before setting up base in Alexandria to fine-tune tactics and build team chemistry.
Ahead of their departure, the mood in the Gazelles camp was one of focus and optimism as players and coaches addressed NBS Sport during their final local training at Lugogo Indoor Arena on Thursday morning.
Assistant captain Hope Akello, who was part of the historic squad that finished 7th at the 2023 Afrobasket in Kigali, says the girls have been grinding hard through double training sessions and are eager for a focused environment.
“The training and camp have been okay. We’ve been having morning and evening sessions every day, and I feel like we’re getting better and better,” said Akello, who plays for JKL Lady Dolphins.
“Our bodies are a bit fatigued, but we’re pushing through. Egypt will help us concentrate more on the tournament. Here at home you have work and other distractions.”
Akello pointed out that the team has been addressing key gaps identified during February’s Zone V qualifiers, which Uganda won in Cairo to book their Afrobasket slot.
“Coach Nick talked about what we needed to work on; defensive rebounding, communication, and our transitions. Those are the areas we’ve been focusing on improving,” she said.
Her club teammate, Evelyn Nakiyingi, is one of the fresh faces in this year’s squad, returning to the national team for the first time since 2023. Akello believes Nakiyingi’s return will add both quality and depth.
“I’m happy she’s back. She’s young and very talented, and I think she’ll bring a lot with her IQ and steals.”
For Jamila “Zama” Nansikombi, who rejoined the team this week after a stint in the United States, the camp offers more than just game-time readiness, but symbolises how far the Gazelles have come.
She also stated that she’s very privileged to represent the country in the continent, and that the team is now prepared to perform better than theu did last time out on the continent.
“Having this big word; Uganda, across my chest is always a privilege. Every time it’s exciting,” said Zama.
“The previous Afrobasket was really motivating. We came from being a nobody to a somebody in a short time. The standards are now set. We cannot afford to perform worse than we did.”
Zama, who scored 15 points in the Gazelles’ memorable win over Egypt during the Zone V qualifiers in February, says the tough training has challenged her, but she’s ready to dig deeper.
“It’s been tough as expected. It’s hard to recover from the travelling straight into training, but I’m excited to be back.”
Head coach Nicholas Natuhereza emphasized the importance of the Egypt camp, not only for match practice but also for isolating the squad from distractions.
“We’ve told the players it’s important for us to have time away from all the noise and just focus for three weeks,” said Natuhereza.
“Many of the players have been active in the league, so the transition into camp has been smooth.”
The 13-player squad features several returnees from the team that played in Kigali and the Zone V qualifiers, with a few additions made to fix positional weaknesses.
“We didn’t want to change things too much,” said Natuhereza. “But we also brought in new players like Evelyn who can address issues we had in the qualifiers; especially at point guard.”
The team will begin their Egypt stay in Cairo, where they’ll play three friendlies between July 12 and 15 against Egypt, Rwanda, and Cameroon.
They will then relocate to Alexandria for the residential camp until July 24, before flying to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, where the tournament tips off on July 26.
Uganda will be making their fourth appearance at the Afrobasket, having previously competed in 1997 (Kenya), 2015 (Cameroon), and 2023 (Rwanda).
The Gazelles are expected to build on their impressive 7th-place finish last time out, and with preparations now entering a critical stage, belief in the camp is rising.
