Prime
Troubled Power in dire need of wins
Veteran forward Isaac Afidra needs to lift his side. PHOTOS/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Only City Oilers, on nine titles, and Falcons, on six, boast better record in the top division than Power.
Dmark Power is the third most successful team in the history of the National Basketball League. They have five championships to their name and command one of the biggest fanbases in the country.
Only City Oilers, on nine titles, and Falcons, on six, boast better record in the top division than Power.
But that success is a thing of the past. The last time Power celebrated a title was 2011, when they beat the now defunct Kyambogo Warriors in Game Seven.
Veteran Isaac Afidra, named MVP back then, is the only surviving member of the team in the current squad.
Over a decade later, Power find themselves in a situation that will see them relegated if results do not go their way in the final bend of the regular season.
With just four games left to the conclusion of their regular season business, Power have a 5-13 record and 23 points. They find themselves in seventh place on the 12-team log.
They have, however, played more games than all the teams below them. Both Our Savior and Livingstone, on 22 and 21 points respectively, have an opportunity to leapfrog Power after their games in hand.
Power coach Timothy Odeke wants everyone to come together.
Kampala Rockets and JKL Dolphins, both on 19 points, also have Power in sight, having played three games less. Ndejje Angels are bottom of the log, on 19 points, having played two games less than Power.
Business time
To avoid any mathematics and chaos at the bottom, Power will have to start by getting results in their last four games, starting with Friday’s clash with KIU Titans at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium.
Head coach Timothy Odeke assured Daily Monitor that his charges will fight in tonight’s game well aware of the ramifications if results do not go their way at this stage of the season.
“KIU is a good team and caught us on a thin squad in the first round. We will compete in this one. We are in a deep ditch and there has to be a sense of urgency,” Odeke told this publication.
“It’s been a tough season mainly because we lacked depth in the first round. We ran on a seven-man squad, we would run out of gas in the third and fourth quarters. Even games where we played well, we failed to close them,” he added.
Having rode on the shoulders of veterans Afidra and Philip Ameny for the first round, Power made some signings in the mid-season transfer window to steady the ship but results have remained elusive.
Geoffrey Soro, Tariq Tendi Powel, Clinton Omondi and Kevin Ogunjumi are the players who were added to the Power roster for the second half of the season.
“We added players but even then, they need some gelling time. You can see we are not used to ourselves but we are improving by the day and hoping to finish these last four games on a high.”
Our Savior, Livingstone and Ndejje are Power’s last three games. But the fight starts tonight against a KIU side that is fourth on the log with a commanding 11-3 record.
National Basketball League
Results
Women
Miracle 63-71 Magic Stormers
Men
KCCA 83-91 Nam Blazers
Friday at Lugogo
Women
JKL vs. JT Jaguars, 7pm
Men
KIU Titans vs. Power, 9pm
