By Michael Ainomugisha
Uganda Christian University will once again carry Uganda’s hopes onto the continental stage when the 8th Federation of African University Sports (FASU) AfroVarsity 3×3 Basketball Challenge tips off at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria from May 29 to June 1, 2026.
The tournament serves as Africa’s qualification pathway to the FISU 3×3 World Cup, a competition where UCU has built one of the strongest university basketball records on the continent.
For years now, UCU’s Canons and Lady Canons have become regular names at both FASU and FISU competitions, turning the Mukono-based university into one of Africa’s recognised forces in university 3×3 basketball.
This year’s men’s team will feature Joel Kayiira, Daniel Muganzi, Flore Dushime and Aleir Pech, while the women’s side will be represented by Martina Anyango, Shillah Lamunu, Zoe Atek and Sylvia Nakituuka.
The competition comes months after the UCU Lady Canons made history at the 2025 FISU University World Cup in Brasília, Brazil, where they became the first African university women’s team to win a medal after securing bronze.
That team, led by Tracy Namugosa, Shillah Lamunu, Martina Anyango and Sylvia Nantongo, defeated universities from Spain, Chile and China before narrowly losing to Ukraine’s Vasyl Stefanyk University in the semifinals.
Namugosa was later named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, becoming the first African player to earn the accolade at the FISU University 3×3 World Cup.
Now, attention shifts back to the African qualifiers in Ibadan, where UCU will attempt to defend the continental dominance they have built over the years.
UCU’s 3×3 story stretches back to 2015, when the Lady Canons won the inaugural Afro Varsity 3×3 Challenge and represented Africa at the FISU World University League in Xiamen, China.
Since then, the university has consistently appeared at the top level of African university basketball.
In 2021, UCU swept both the men’s and women’s FASU Afro Varsity titles in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2024, the two sides defended their African crowns in Kampala. A year later, they again completed a double, with the men defeating USIU 21–19 in the final and the women overcoming Côte d’Ivoire’s AS INJS before beating USIU 19–15.
Speaking ahead of this year’s tournament, UCU head coach Nicholas Natuhereza said preparations have focused on building from the experience gained over the last few years.
“We have been preparing for the last three weeks. We are in our last days, and most probably tomorrow (26th May) will be our final training session before travelling,” Natuhereza said.
The coach explained that the teams have undergone a few adjustments from last year’s squads.
For the women, Zoe Atek comes in for Sylvia Nantongo, while Sylvia Nakituuka replaces Tracy Namugosa, who is no longer eligible because of age restrictions.
On the men’s side, Alier Pech replaces Harold Amara as UCU look to add more size and physical presence to the squad.
“For the men, we figured we needed a bigger body to share the load with Kayiira, who played a big part in our campaign last year,” Natuhereza explained.
Natuhereza believes the changes were necessary to improve balance within the teams.
“For the women, we felt we needed another perimeter player who can also stretch the floor. For the men, we needed a bigger body to share the load with Joel, who played a big part in our campaign last year,” he explained.
Despite UCU’s strong record in the competition, the coach expects a tougher challenge in Nigeria, especially with more West African universities expected to compete this year.
“When you have won the competition a couple of times, you become a target. Teams know they are coming up against experienced players and former champions,” Natuhereza said.
He added that the university is approaching the competition with caution rather than confidence built on past success.
“We are not assuming this will be easy because we have won before. We expect a tough challenge, and hopefully the preparations we are doing will have us ready to compete,” he said.
For players like Shillah Lamunu, Martina Anyango and Joel Kayiira, the tournament presents another chance to extend UCU’s growing influence in African university basketball.
And for UCU itself, Ibadan becomes another chapter in a 3×3 journey that has steadily moved from participation to continental dominance and now global recognition.
