The President of the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA), Justus Mugisha, has paid tribute to teenage basketball player Maxine Modesta Anyango following her death on Thursday.
In a statement released on behalf of USSSA and the wider school sports fraternity, Mugisha described the passing of the St Noa Girls School player as a painful loss to Ugandan sport.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of St Noa Girls School player, Maxine Modesta Anyango,” the statement read.
Mugisha conveyed condolences to St Noa Girls School, the Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (FUBA), Anyango’s family and the people of Uganda as tributes continued to pour in for one of the country’s brightest young basketball prospects.
Anyango had represented St Noa Girls School in various USSSA competitions and also featured for Uganda at the ISF World School Basketball Championship in China, where she competed against some of the best young players from across the world.
“Her commitment, talent, and dedication to school basketball made her a valued member of the sporting community, and her passing is a painful loss to all who knew and admired her,” Mugisha said.
The teenager had built a strong reputation through her performances for both school and national teams. She starred for the Junior Gazelles and was part of Uganda’s campaign at the 2024 FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket in South Africa after helping the country qualify through the Zone V championships in Lugogo, where she was named MVP.
Her death came days after she sustained a knee injury while playing for St Noa Girls during the USSSA National Ball Games. The exact circumstances surrounding her death have not been officially confirmed.
Messages of condolence from athletes, coaches, schools and sports administrators have continued across social media, with many remembering Anyango as a disciplined young player whose future in basketball looked exceptionally bright.
“May her soul rest in peace,” the USSSA statement added.
