Positive tests before the Egypt game
Uganda's national team arrived in Monastir, Tunisia, for the final window of the AfroBasket 2021 qualifiers and never got on the court. Five members of the squad tested positive for the coronavirus before the opening game against Egypt, and on 18 February 2021 FIBA pulled all of Uganda's games from the window.
The governing body explained the call in one line. "FIBA has decided to postpone the games of Uganda in the upcoming FIBA AfroBasket 2021 qualifiers in Monastir, Tunisia with the health and safety of players, coaches and officials being the primary consideration," the statement read.
A group Uganda were winning
The timing was cruel for the Silverbacks. Uganda sat in Group E with Egypt, Cape Verde and Morocco, and after the first window in November 2020 they were second in the group with five points from two wins in three games.
Those games had been played at the Kamal Shalaby Hall in Alexandria, Egypt, at a single venue, the format FIBA Africa adopted for both windows during the pandemic. Uganda lost the opener 96-77 to the hosts. The next two nights went their way. Robinson Opong scored 29 points in a 94-90 win over Morocco, and Ish Wainright put up 36 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as Uganda edged Cape Verde 101-98.
| Group E, November 2020, Alexandria | Score |
|---|---|
| Egypt vs Uganda | 96-77 |
| Uganda vs Morocco | 94-90 |
| Uganda vs Cape Verde | 101-98 |
One more win in February would have settled qualification for the AfroBasket finals in Kigali, Rwanda. Instead, the February window was over for Uganda before it began.
How the February window ran without them
The final window opened on Wednesday, 17 February, and was due to end on Sunday, 21 February, with games split between Yaoundé in Cameroon and the Salle Mohamed Mzali in Monastir. Nigeria and Mali won on the first day in Monastir, Nigeria beating South Sudan 75-70 and Mali defeating Rwanda 76-51.
Group E carried on with three teams. Morocco beat Cape Verde 72-69 on 18 February. Egypt then took control, beating Cape Verde 94-65 and Morocco 84-59 to finish the window unbeaten and book their place in Kigali on 20 February. Youssef Aboushousha was Egypt's top scorer in both games, with 16 points against Cape Verde and 14 against Morocco, as the hosts of the November window confirmed they were the strongest side in the group. Uganda, Cape Verde and Morocco were left waiting on FIBA's decision about the postponed games.
The rescheduled game in Salé
FIBA published its decisions on the February window on 2 March 2021, and Uganda's matches were moved to June or July at a venue still to be chosen. The calendar did not stretch to all of them. Uganda's games against Egypt and Cape Verde were eventually cancelled, and only the meeting with Morocco was played.
It took place on 8 July 2021 at the Salle Bouazzaoui in Salé, Morocco. Uganda won 77-65, with Arthur Kaluma scoring 20 points and Wainright collecting 12 rebounds, and the result sent both Uganda and Cape Verde through from Group E.
A virus scare had cost the team five months, and still the place in Kigali was theirs.
Uganda at AfroBasket 2021
The finals ran from 24 August to 5 September 2021 at the Kigali Arena, a week later than first planned because of the pandemic. Sixteen teams took part, and South Sudan made their AfroBasket debut.
Uganda went 1-2 in a group with Senegal, South Sudan and Cameroon, then beat Nigeria 80-68 on 31 August in the round that decided the last quarter-final places. Cape Verde ended the run with a 79-71 win on 2 September. Uganda finished sixth, a long way up from 13th place in 2017, their previous appearance. Tunisia retained the title by beating Côte d'Ivoire 78-75 in the final, and Senegal took bronze.
Why it mattered beyond Uganda
The episode in Monastir showed how fragile African basketball's calendar had become in the first year of the pandemic. National teams traveled to single venues for each window, and one positive result could take a whole squad out of a window.
The club game was stalled too. The first Basketball Africa League season, due in March 2020, had been pushed back again and was finally played in Kigali in May 2021, three months before the AfroBasket finals came to the same city.