KAMPALA (Uganda) – Uganda champions City Oilers’ journey in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) began in 2022, but the team is yet to reach the final stage of the tournament.
And that’s what the team’s current head coach, Andrew Tendo, wants to see change as the team heads to the upcoming BAL Elite 16 East Division, and not for the first time.
The City Oilers have already competed in the continent’s biggest club competition and learned valuable lessons from it, but despite their best efforts, the Kampala club is yet to reach their full potential.
Two years ago, the City Oilers made their debut in the first round of the continental club competition, where they finished the group stage with a score of 2-0.
A year later, they did well again, qualifying for the 2023 BAL season after brushing aside Burundian giants Urunani in the Road to BAL in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
The Oilers then finished in 6th place in the Nile Conference, with only one victory in five matches.
For their second consecutive season in the BAL, they met and beat another tough Burundian team, Dynamo, in the semi-final of the Road to BAL, also in the Tanzanian port city.
Tendo, who came through the ranks at the club, also played for the team before he began working with veteran coach Mandy Juruni to shape the Uganda team.
He took full control of the City Oilers after Juruni, a former Uganda Silverbacks fullback, left the club in December 2023 for another assignment in Rwanda.
Tendo revealed that they were lucky that the Uganda Championship ended early and the team had enough time to focus on the Elite 16.
The team retained most of the players who helped them win their tenth consecutive title by beating Kampala International University (KIU) Titans 4-0 in the play-off final.
In their quest for a place in the BAL, they have strengthened their chances this time with the presence of two star players – Perry Petty and Germain Roebuck, who is no stranger to the team.
Besides the two players who participated in the Elite 16 tournament in Johannesburg, South Africa, last year, Tendo said the team is exploring other options.
“We have made some additions to the team and the time we have been waiting has mainly focused on team chemistry,” he told FIBA.basketball.
He went on to say: “Unfortunately we haven’t made it to a BAL finals yet, but I hope we make it this time.”
The tactician sent a strong message to his opponents in his first assignment as head coach. “Like all the coaches in this tournament, we want to go to the BAL finals.”
The tactician revealed that the players started training with moderate intensity and also played a few friendly matches in order to prepare for the BAL after a grueling season.
Tendo, who worked with NBA Academy coach Karim Nesba during the Nile Camp and Conference in Cairo, Egypt, to hone his skills, believes those efforts will come in handy when kickoff finally kicks off given.
Tendo explains why the Oilers have been at the top in Uganda for years: “You have to approach every season like it’s your first and we had a young core from the start that stuck together for ten seasons.”
To succeed in the BAL, advance preparation, a good mindset and adequate mental conditions will be essential to help the team overcome difficult matches.
In June 2024, Tendo led the Ugandan junior teams to the top step of the podium at the African Under-18 Championship in Kampala.
FIBA
