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The National Basketball League (NBL) playoff finals begin this Friday, October 26 at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium.
The women will see the four-time champions, JKL Dolphins face the JT Jaguars, who have made the finals for the first time. For the men, Namuwongo Blazers, who qualified for the last 16 BAL qualifiers next month, following their exploits in Tanzania last weekend, face City Oilers for a second time in the finals.
“It is obviously an exciting time at Namuwongo because we have qualified for the last 16 for the first time. We have thus had a few days to celebrate that achievement. Of course, being in Tanzania has helped us prepare for the finals, particularly because we have bonded more as a team,” Enabu said.
From a technical point of view, Enabu said that the BAL qualifiers were a timely lesson for Namuwongo in terms of knowing their strong areas, but also, the weaknesses they must iron out.
Even with all Enabu’s experience, playing in all finals and winning them from 2013 to 2023, he acknowledges that the need to improve as a team never stops. So, the work has to continue.
For what it is worth, over the last two seasons, there has been a period where Enabu’s form, both for club and country, was not good. This proved a big setback for his teams, especially because he was not shooting, defending, let alone scoring as well as many basketball fans have known him for since his breakthrough season in 2008.
Notably, Enabu’s standing in Ugandan basketball is on equal footing with some of the best basketball players this country has had. For example, Steve Omony and Norman Blick.
Therefore, every time he steps on court, he is expected to perform. Incidentally, Enabu appears to have picked up good form lately, as seen in the playoffs. Because of his display, Namuwongo were able to vanquish UCU Canons 3-0 in the best-of-five semifinals.
As a team, Namuwongo are yet to lose a game in the playoffs. They also swept Rezlife 2-0 in the best-of-three quarterfinal series. Yet, all that will count for nothing if they do not beat the City Oilers in the finals.
It will be the second time in NBL history that Namuwongo and City Oilers meet in the playoffs. The first time was in 2022. At the time, Enabu was still the go-to player at the Oilers. The meeting of the two sides served the fans to a seven-game thriller, which the Oilers, who are currently the ten-time defending champions, won.
While Namuwongo beat the Oilers twice in the regular season, the final presents itself as a different ball game. Since the Oilers added two American players, Chad Bowie and Kurt Curry to their playoff roster, they are anything but the team that nearly missed out on the playoffs, having finished seventh.
Both Bowie and Curry have been crucial to the Oilers’ cause, something seen in the average number of minutes they play each match, which is 30 of 40. In addition, Bowie and Curry have not only added athleticism to Oilers’ game.
But the much-needed execution on offence, seen greatly in their perimeter shooting and assists. The two are easily the best players on the Oilers team, and when they perform well, usually, this usually results in their team winning.
While Curry has been the most lethal on offence, averaging 16.8 points in the seven games the two have played so far, Bowie has not been a bystander by any means. The point guard has averaged 14.7 points, and without the duo, few believe the Oilers would have made it this far.
At least, during the semifinals against Sommet Spartans, a best-of-five series Oilers won 3-2, observers believe that had it not been for Bowie and Curry, the place in the final would have eluded them.
Bowie and Curry’s consistency has lifted coach Andrew Tendo’s team significantly. As such, Tendo, who, earlier in the season, rued the fact that his side missed so many easy shots, layups and struggled to defend, is now looking rosy for him.
Tendo will be credited for also preparing plays that have ensured the efficacy of Bowie and Curry. Inevitably, Oilers should be a totally different prospect now from the one Namuwongo faced in the regular season.
Enabu, who is expected to face one of Bowie or Curry, is relishing the match-up, instead of being anxious. Enabu noted that there was no room for anxiety, but focus on the job at hand, which he acknowledges will be tough.
In a nutshell, although Enabu has won 11 championships in his lifetime, his motivation for more has not died down. That will be music to the ears of Namuwongo fans. But then, the team is unlikely to be with another guard, Tonny Drileba, who is an Oilers legend.
His injury kept him out of BAL, and it seems to be taking a long time to heal for a clash; on his terms, he would not miss for the world!
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