Uganda’s men’s basketball team, the Silverbacks, has officially secured its place in the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket despite suffering an 87-67 defeat to Nigeria in their latest Group B matchup.
With Cape Verde, Libya, Nigeria, and Uganda all having earned qualification, attention now turns to the final group standings, as the fourth-place team will advance as the best fourth-place finisher in the qualifiers.
Head coach Mandy Juruni’s squad fought hard for three quarters but struggled in the final six minutes, allowing Nigeria to go on a dominant 20-1 run.
Although Uganda lost, their seven points in the standings guaranteed their qualification, regardless of the result in their final game against Libya.
Deng John Geu and Robinson Opong were Uganda’s top scorers, putting up 20 and 17 points, respectively. However, turnovers proved costly, with Uganda surrendering 28 points off 19 giveaways—a key factor in the loss, according to Coach Juruni.
“The result is disappointing, but I am proud of the way we played,” said Juruni. “The final score doesn’t reflect the effort we put in. We were competitive until the fourth quarter, but turnovers and their physicality hurt us. However, we achieved our primary goal, which was to qualify for AfroBasket 2025.”
John Geu also acknowledged Nigeria’s superior athleticism and ability to exploit individual matchups. “We battled for three quarters, but we lost focus in the fourth. They took advantage of our mistakes. Now, we focus on finishing strong against Libya,” he said.
Libya, Uganda’s next opponent, secured an 82-80 victory over Cape Verde, keeping their own qualification hopes alive. Playing in front of a fervent home crowd, Libya came back from a 12-point deficit, with captain Mohamed Sadi contributing a key double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.
With qualification already secured, Uganda’s final game against Libya will decide their group standing. A win could improve their ranking, but regardless of the outcome, Uganda will be part of AfroBasket 2025, marking a significant achievement for the team on the continental stage.
