Tuesday marks the official tipoff of the FIBA Africa Zone 5 Qualifiers as five nations gather at the MTN Arena, Lugogo in Kampala, Uganda tussling out for the lone ticket up for grabs to qualify for the finals in Kigali. Uganda is anxious to return to the high table once again, Kenya is going for a three-peat and Egypt are out to regain their top position in the region as South Sudan hope to make some upset in the six-day show. Cheikh Sarr’s Rwanda may have an automatic ticket to play the finals, but his women are not in Kampala just to give out points to the opposing sides as each of the players will go out to prove why they merit a selection in the final roster for the finals. So who joins the hosts, champions Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon and Senegal who all secured their slots during the 2021 Women's AfroBasket championship in Yaounde, Cameroon? Times Sport takes a closer look at the five nations that will parade in Kampala for the February 14-19 regional meeting. Rwanda They hosted the 2021 event, and took a giant step by getting off their fixtures when they humiliated eventual winners Kenya 77-45. The victory restored their hopes but it did not end all well for the home girls as they finished third behind winners Kenya and runners-up Egypt. Kenya The reigning zonal champions have not had the best of training but the technical bench was exuding confidence, upon departure on Sunday night, that the team would go on to make the nation proud once again. Kenya made their first back-to-back FIBA AfroBasket Championship after putting up a fine display in the 2021 Qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda, beating Egypt in the final. They recovered superbly after suffering from an early record-breaking 107-106 loss against the pharaohs. That end-to-end stuff saw first-ever triple figures in the Zone. Three of the Lionesses' most devastating trio of Victoria Reynolds, Mercy Wanyama and Felmas Koranga will not be together this time round to cause havoc as Koranga is unavailable. But, beware, new kid on the block Medina Okot is only just getting started after her fearless display in the FIBA Africa Women Club Championships in Maputo, Mozambique in December 2022. Uganda After two missed opportunities since their maiden outing in Cameroon in 2015, the question under the wide blue sky for the Ugandans remains- could it finally work for the home girls playing before their insatiable fans? Uganda hosted the show in 2014 and 2019 but missed out on the 2021 qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda. They are now all set to welcome teams in their backyard once again and this time with great hopes that they could come out on top when the championship concludes. All eyes are on Jannon Otto, who plays for Musel Pikes (Luxembourg), and 19-year-old Najjuma Maria currently in the NBA Africa Academy and the evergreen playmaker Flavio Okatch, as key players who have what it takes to carry the Gazelles. Egypt After a slip-up in the last qualifiers in Kigali, Egypt is back to make amends. Coach Ehab el-Ahly has been working hard to put together a formidable team capable of erasing the wrongs in Kigali to claim their place at the summit of the zone. Sporting Alexandria Club's triumphs in the 2022 FIBA Africa Champions Cup Women and at the FIBA Zone Five Club show in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, have shown how games are won and the national team will be looking to follow their example. The Egyptians will, however, have to do it in absence of one of their iconic players Ager Hager who had a great 2022 claiming both the regional and continental titles. She was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at both competitions. But there is the ever-dangerous Souraya Degheidy and the speedy playmaker Reem Moussa. The experienced duo gives every opponent every reason to fear Egypt at the qualifiers. South Sudan They made their debut in the Kigali qualifiers last year, loaded with players drawn from the diaspora, but they found out early that nothing was easy. They lost all their games but, by making an appearance, they made giant gains. Team manager Deng Ajou Deng said they can build on the gains made two years ago and move on from there as the players have excelled individually around the globe. Except for Perina Leime and Acheil Tac, the rest of the players are making their debut. Israel-based Bulak, previously forced out through injury, will make her presence felt this time around.
