Uganda women’s basketball head coach Nicholas Natuhereza believes the team’s upcoming training camp in Egypt will be instrumental in fine-tuning their game ahead of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket in Abidjan.
The Gazelles will travel to Cairo on Friday, July 11, for a 13-day camp that includes friendly matches against fellow AfroBasket-bound teams—Egypt, Cameroon, and Rwanda—from July 12 to 15.
The squad will then continue with closed training sessions in Alexandria before heading to Côte d’Ivoire for the tournament, which tips off on July 26.
Speaking ahead of the trip, Natuhereza described the camp as a crucial opportunity to test tactics and scout group-stage opponents. Uganda is in Group C alongside Senegal and Guinea.
“We’ve been on a bit of a crash program to get the players ready,” said Natuhereza. “But this is a good build-up for us. These are strong teams—Cameroon, Rwanda, and Egypt—so we’re excited. Hopefully, this tournament will help us identify gaps and also some of the good things we can build on before AfroBasket.”
The coach added that the matches in Egypt will give him and his technical team a clearer picture of what needs to be addressed before they face African powerhouses like 11-time champions Senegal in the group stage.
“For me, the good thing is that we’ll be able to focus on the things we want to do, and also scout the opponents that we already know,” he said. “I’m looking forward to these two weeks—they’ll definitely help us prepare better.”
Natuhereza also took a moment to appreciate the fan support shown during the team’s open session on July 10 at Lugogo Indoor Arena.
“From the qualifiers, we’ve felt the love from fans both in the media and in the messages we get,” he noted. “Knowing that they’re behind us is extra motivation. With women’s teams, you don’t always get that kind of backing, so we truly appreciate it. We’re going out there to play even harder—partly for them.”
Uganda qualified for the 2025 AfroBasket after beating hosts Egypt 74–63 in the final of the Zone V Qualifiers in Cairo last year.
