Gazelles get new Head Coach ahead of Afrobasket Qualifiers

Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (FUBA) has appointed Alberto Antuna as new Head Coach for the senior women’s team, Gazelles. This development was confirmed on Monday in a press briefing at Africana Hotel in Kampala.

His first assignment is to prepare the national team for the FIBA Zone V Afrobasket 2023 Qualifiers that will take place from February 14-19 in Kampala, Uganda.

Antuna who is Spanish joins the national team from German outfit Montenegro and replaces Nick Natuhereza who has now been assigned to the role of an assistant together with Mavita Ali and Henry Malinga who are all locally based.

“It’s my first time in Uganda and Africa as a whole and I’m really excited to be here. I’m looking forward to practice with the girls inorder to get a very competitive team. We hope to make the country proud at the Afrobasket Qualifiers and qualify for the finals,” Antuna said.

Nasser Sserunjogi who is the FUBA President announced a 23-player provisional squad that started training on Monday at the MTN Arena in Lugogo, Kampala. This will be a non-residential training camp for 10 days and there after a residential one with the final selected team until the tournament period will be held.

The Gazelles will be seeking to make their third appearance on the continent after debuting in 1997 and at the 2015 edition in Cameroon. They bounce back into contention for a place having missed out on the previous edition due to lack of funds.

This year’s FIBA Zone V Afrobasket finals will be held in July in Kigali, Rwanda.

Summoned players