Junior Silverbacks fall to Cameroon in FIBA U16 AfroBasket opener

FIBA U16 Afrobasket (Rwanda)

Tuesday 2rd

Uganda 50 Cameroon 57

Friday 5th

Tunisia v Uganda 5pm

The Uganda Junior Silverbacks began their FIBA U16 AfroBasket campaign with a hard-fought 50–57 loss to Cameroon on Tuesday evening in Kigali, Rwanda.

Led by head coach Michael Seger, the young Ugandan side entered the tournament with confidence following a promising build-up. They had won two of their three warm-up matches, beating Morocco 67–61 and edging Rwanda 96–93 before narrowly falling to Egypt 55–64.

Against Cameroon, Uganda showed grit, especially in the second half, but missed free throws and wasted scoring opportunities proved costly.

Cameroon edged the first quarter 18–15, with Shammah Kwizera sinking a three-pointer and Joshua Bwakanda contributing six points to keep Uganda within reach. However, the Junior Silverbacks lost momentum in the second quarter, as Cameroon closed with an 8–0 run to take a 35–22 lead into halftime.

Uganda attempted a comeback in the third quarter but struggled to close the gap, with Cameroon maintaining a double-digit advantage. In the final period, the Silverbacks displayed resilience and trimmed the deficit, but Cameroon’s Nolan Ngangmeni, who finished with 10 points—stepped up in the closing minutes to seal the win.

Uganda’s standout performers included Joshua Bwakanda and Pierre Rwuhiriro, who each posted double-doubles with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Kwizera added 10 points and six steals, while Evans Shyaka chipped in six points during the first half.

A key difference was Cameroon’s dominance in transition, scoring 13 fast-break points compared to Uganda’s three. Uganda’s bench also failed to register any points, highlighting depth concerns.

Drawn into one of the tournament’s toughest pools alongside Tunisia, Guinea, and Cameroon, Uganda faces an uphill battle. Only the top two teams from the boys’ event will qualify for the 2026 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey.

The Junior Silverbacks will aim to bounce back on Friday, September 5, when they take on Tunisia at 5:00 PM in their second group match.