By Edwin Kule
Athletes across the globe meet a number of challenges along their journey, but injuries usually come off with a rough whip. Injuries keep athletes out of action and also kill their rhythm along the way.
In the same breath, UCU Canons’ Jimmy Otim faced a major setback last season as he suffered a nasty injury during the quarterfinals last year as they took on D-Mark Power.
Otim was blocked by Isaac Afidra as he drove to make a layup, and he landed on the rough surface of YMCA Court in Wandegeya, thus suffering a bad injury.
However, the good news is that Otim is fully back on his feet and ready to rumble. Speaking after the injury, he has opened up about his target in the ongoing campaign.
“I am targeting a lot, and I think my expectations are so high because it’s been like three consecutive seasons as the team (the UCU Canons) finishes third, so I want to do all it takes to help the team go past that point,” he said.
“We are a young team that has a number of new talents, but we are glad to have good teachers of the game. I believe as the season goes on, the team will get better as it gathers more experience,” he added.
Otim further narrated that it was not easy for him to sit on the sidelines as the boys played without him. He recalls a lot of hard moments that have turned into fuel, pushing him to work harder.
“I was down seeing other people play. It has not been easy for me, but I have had to push myself. I had to endure the pain, and I feel fine now. I believed in myself and believed that I would come out of it. It’s now time to work harder and pay back my team for their patience,” he concluded.
Nicholas Natuhereza’s troops have so far played two games in the ongoing campaign. They kicked off the campaign with a 69-58 victory against the Kampala Rockets before falling in an 83-52 loss to the KIU Titans.