City Oilers, Uganda’s most successful basketball club, will be representing Uganda in the 2023 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Nile Conference.
The BAL, a partnership between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), is the first pan-African professional basketball league.
City Oilers, also known as the ‘The Oilers,’ have won a record-breaking back-to-back eight FUBA National Basketball League championships, in addition to lifting the 2016 and 2017 FIBA Africa Zone V Clubs championships. They have also made their mark on the international stage with appearances in the 2019 FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup.
Head Coach Mandy Juruni is ecstatic about the upcoming tournament, stating, “We are thrilled to be representing Uganda as we make our debut at the Basketball Africa League. Our team has a winning mentality, and we are excited to showcase our skills on the continent’s biggest stage.”
The BAL Nile Conference will take place from Wednesday, 26th April to Saturday, 6th May, 2023 at the Dr. Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo, Egypt.
City Oilers will be competing against 5 other teams from across Africa in a round-robin format.
The travelling squad consists of Tonny Drileba, Jimmy Enabu, Ivan Muhwezi, Fayed Baale, Titus Lual Odeke, James ‘Oxsy’ Okello, Edrine Walujjo, Abdulhakim Ghedi, Germaine Roebuck Jr., William Ngor, Fallando Jones, and James Justice Jr.
City Oilers’ first game will be against Clube Atlético Petroleos de Luanda on Thursday, 27th April 2023, at 9:30 PM, followed by a game against Al Ahly Sporting Club on Saturday, 29th April 2023, at 8:30 PM, to close out their April fixtures.
The Oilers will open their May run with a game against Seydou Legacy Athlétique Club (SLAC) on Tuesday, 2nd May 2023, at 6:00 PM, followed by games against Clube Ferroviário da Beira (CFV – Beira) on Friday, 5th May 2023, at 5:00 PM, and finally, the Cape Town Tigers on Saturday, 6th May 2023, at 5:00 PM. All times listed above are East African Time.
The Oilers held a final training session at the Lugogo Indoor Arena yesterday Thursday, 20th April, 2023 starting 8 PM, before flying out of Uganda on the morning of Saturday, 22nd April 2023.
