Basketball: Defiant Namuwongo Blazers keep eye on ultimate prize 

The one true fact about sports fans is that they are fickle.

At one moment, they are lavishing their stars with praise, and in another, bashing them as though they are the worst to have ever happened. Clearly, there is rarely a middle ground for a true sports fan, when they are winning or losing.

A few weeks ago, as the National Basketball League regular season was drawing to a close, City Oilers beat their main rivals Namuwongo Blazers 67-58, leading to so much ridicule towards the Blazers, who had been expected to win that clash.

Based on the fact that the reverse fixture in the first round had ended 60-54 to the Blazers, a result that saw them receive so much glorification, few would countenance that Oilers, who recently lost their three best players, stood a chance.

In light of that, and the fact that the Blazers lost six of their 22 regular season games, compared to Oilers, who lost only once in that same period, few were ready to bank on the Blazers. Some have already branded them perennial chokers when it matters most.

However, for Blazers coach, Stephen ‘Escodata’ Nyeko, he remains defiant. They are still going out to beat whoever stands in their way, to win a first championship.

He said: “People forget that success is not built on success, but on failure and disappointment. We have experienced that, which is part of the process to success. I believe we are in a good place right now.”

Indeed. Already in the playoffs, Blazers won game one of their best of three series against Our Saviour Basketball Club last week, 73-61. And they meet again tonight at the Lugogo Indoor stadium for game two. A win tonight would take them to the semi-finals, where they are expected to face the second seeds from the regular season, KIU Titans. Blazers lost to them in the second round, too.

Nyeko said their focus is on Our Saviour for now. But for whatever lies ahead, they are prepared to embrace it. Yet, Nyeko could not run away from the fact that Oilers are the team to beat.

He noted: “Oilers have the experience, been there, done it. They have the opportunity to keep the consistency through their players, whom they have had for many years; something we pick a leaf from.”

Yet, even with all that considered, no one is absolutely invincible. Nyeko said that Blazers’ targets have never changed, and the playoffs is one thing they prepare for.

“We are focused on going all the way because from the first time we joined the league, we have done our best to make sure we win it. We continue to learn from the best so that we improve as coaches, players and management. All this is geared towards winning every time we are on court.”

But until the win over Our Saviour recently, the Blazers, who have quality players in the shape of American Jimmy Williams, Innocent Ochera and Paul Odong, have flattered to deceive, raising questions about their seriousness in all this. Odong said that to win, they must strictly follow their coach’s tactical plan through the plays they set out to execute. Such discipline is what has made Oilers tick, although one can only write off Blazers at their peril.