2021 FIBA AfroBasket – Quarter finals
Cape Verde vs Uganda
7 PM @Kigali Arena, Rwanda
Forward Ishmail Wainwright shot 36 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and managed 2 steals as Silverbacks, Uganda men’s senior national basketball team beat Cape Verde in the AfroBasket Qualifiers in November 2020 in Egypt.
Then, Silverbacks Captain Jimmy Enabu also had a good game and managed 17 points just like Deng Geu. Robinson Opong managed 16 points. The trio is still on the team’s roaster.
Uganda and Cape Verde meet again today, Thursday, 2nd September in the quarter finals of the 2021 FIBA AfroBasket at the Kigali Arena in Rwanda (7 PM).
For Wainright, the Toronto Raptors star is upbeat ahead of the Cape Verde match having helped Uganda to an impressive 80-68 win over Nigeria in the last-16 playoffs on Tuesday.
“We’re confident and you can tell by the way we are getting better and better in each and every game. We might be having a few hiccups but we are ready to put up a good display against Cape Verde,” Wainright who managed 11 points against Nigeria said.
Cape Verde is undoubtedly one of the top sides in the Championship having finished atop Group A (that had Rwanda, Angola and DR Congo) to book a direct slot in the quarter finals.
However, Uganda finished third in Group D, winning only against Cameroon and losing to Senegal and South Sudan.
For Wainright, confidence is key if they are to come atop Cape Verde, a side with lots of veteran charges, some of which have many AfroBasket caps.
“Cape Verde is a good team with veteran players and a good coach. They gonna come out strong but we trust ourselves to beat anyone. Confidence is key and we are ready to play our game, fast and aggressive,” Wainright added.
Cape Verde will be banking on top notch players like Wilton Mendes and Centre Nuno Tavares who both feature in the Euro Basketball League.
For Uganda, options are aplenty with new additions like Arthur Kaluma, Adam Seiko and Kieran Zziwa already making good displays at the continental showpiece.
The winner between Uganda and Cape Verde will face either Tunisia and South Sudan in the semifinals. The two nations are also in action today in one of the quarter finals.
Ivory Coast and Senegal are already in the semis having beaten Guinea and Angola respectively in the quarter finals held on Wednesday.
