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Miracle Eaglets women’s basketball club have had the worst start in years, to their National Basketball League campaign.
So far, they have only managed to muster two wins from the five games they have played. The losses have come in games many basketball fans would have expected them to win. Owing to their pedigree in the league, few would have expected Miracle to lose to newly promoted Victoria She Crocs, Pearl Queens and in Nabisunsa Girls.
This has raised concerns as to whether their top flight status has began coming to an end?
“No, no, no, we are not going to be relegated,” said Arnold Katabi, the Miracle head coach.
He hastily added that although he has been disappointed by the manner in which they have applied themselves thus far, marking out as clearly unacceptable to have lost to the opponents his charges have lost to, Katabi remains upbeat that they will do enough to remain afloat.
Katabi continued that after reviewing all the games they have played this season, he acknowledged that they have not been playing well as a team. There have been so many individual errors in the team, but the kind he insisted they can find solutions to, with time.
Katabi explained: “We have a number of new players in our squad. Truthfully, they have not gelled. We just have to continue working on the training ground to build the team coordination and chemistry. With time, the team will be playing better.”
How soon that will be realized, remains the unanswered question, even by Katabi, who has ample experience coaching in the top flight. Yet, as things stand, his side has two tough games to contend with this week, beginning with Wednesday, March 11.
The Eaglets face KCCA Leopards at Abja Park, well aware of the fact that their opponents have had a better start to their season than they have. In six league fixtures, KCCA has won four and lost two, which were to teams (JT Lady Jaguars and UCU Lady Canons) that are more fancied in the title conversation this year.
In addition, KCCA has beaten teams like Nabisunsa and She Crocs with little sweat dropped. Miracle could not go past those two teams. But may be as their name suggests, Miracle will believe nothing is impossible under the sky.
Then on Sunday, March 15, Miracle will entertain the high flying UCU Lady Canons. The Lady Canons have won all their five games this season, which have included beating KIU Rangers and KCCA. Surely the prospects do not look good for Miracle.
But Katabi does not see it that way. He believes his team can shape its future by believing in itself as much as he believes in it, and working hard on the training ground. Therefore, not in a million years, will they go into games thinking that they cannot win.
That includes ties against KCCA and UCU. Nevertheless, Miracle’s struggles have largely been attributed to their lack of presence in the front court. With players like Specioza Namukose and Amurat Kyalimpa unavailable, teams with taller and bigger players at the post have found Miracle as easy pickings.
Miracle have largely relied on Winnie Akello to pick for them both offensive and defensive rebounds. But she cannot do that alone for the entire 40 minutes. Once she is tired, and has been forced to get to the bench, opponents with more numbers have taken advantage to great effect.
However, Miracle’s back-court has been doing fine, with some good scorers in Caroline Nakato. But the fact that they also lost Mariam Namukwaya (a consistent scorer) to UCU, Martha Nandutu to UPDF Lady Tomahawks, Hanifah Namuli to work commitments, while their captain, Brenda Alyano remains injured, it is a long road ahead.
Failure to beat either of UCU or KCCA will plunge them deeper into the relegation zone alongside the Angels and Nabisunsa.
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