The Uganda national basketball team kick started preparations for the Afro basket qualifiers with a training session on Monday.
The silverbacks started training at the YMCA outdoor court with only locally based players.
The team summoned by head coach Mande Juruni comprising of 12 players went through a two hour training session as they seek to return to the continental showpiece for the second time.
The maiden appearance for Uganda came in 2014 after the silverbacks finished second at the Zone V championship held in Kampala.
In order to return to the Afro basket championship, Uganda will have to stage a great performance at the Zone V tournament scheduled for March this year in Cairo, Egypt.
The Zone V championship serves as the qualifiers for Afro basket with the top two teams advancing to represent the region.
Juruni summoned 12 locally based players including three debutants. UCU Canon’s captain Jonathan Egau and teammate Mike Madol. The other new face on the team is City Oilers Mark Opio.
Stephen Omwony has been retained on the team as captain with Power’s Joseph Ikong deputising him.
The other notable names on the summoned players include Norman Blick, Jimmy Enabu, Ben Komakech and Jonah Otim among others.
The foreign based players are expected to be summoned soon to join the team for training.
Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, Tanzania are the other Zone V nations expected to compete for the two available slots to the finals
Home Based Silverbacks shortlist
Ben Komakech, Jimmy Enabu, Mark Opio, Jonah Otim, Jonathan Egau, Nur Bilal Blick a.k.a Norman, Joseph Ikong (ViceCaptain), Stephen Omwony (Captain), Mike Madol, James Okello, Henry Malinga, Ivan Lumanyika