Uganda National Volleyball Men’s team; the Uganda Volleyball Cranes made a maiden appearance at the African Nations Volleyball Championships and their performance and achievement did not disappoint at all; finishing in 5th position and thus, East Africa’s top ranked nation.

The Uganda Volleyball Cranes put flawless performance winning three games out of the five games played at the championship that was hosted at the Kigali Arena, Rwanda early this month of September.

The two wins came in the group stages; 3-1 against Burkina Faso (25-15, 25-18, 26-28, 25-13) and Burundi in three straight sets (25-18, 25-15, 26-28, 25-18).

The other win came against Rwanda in the battle for 5th position and this was highlight of the championship because Uganda managed to defeat Rwanda with a 3-1 set score (21-25, 25-23,25-20,25-13); a team they had lost to with a 3-2 (25-15, 21-25, 23-25, 25-11, 15-9 ) set score in the final Group A game.

Uganda’s dream start was stopped at the quarter finals with a hard fought 3-1 set score(30-28, 18-25,16-25,21-25) loss to Egypt.

The performance and achievement of Uganda their first ever appearance at Africa’s biggest stage of Nations’ volleyball triggered www.sportznow.ug to look at why the Volleyball Cranes will be the greatest force in East Africa volleyball and beyond.

Coaching:

Yes it may sound boring but Uganda’s performance at the Championship was all down to hard work. The country's passion for the game is not limited to merely playing; it has spilled over to coaching too.

The appointment of an able technical team under the headship of Tonny Lakony as Technical Director, Shilla Omuriwe Buyungo as Head Coach assisted by Luke Eititi; Nalson Bwesigye as consultant and Chris Womukota as performance analyst was a good team all together going by their achievements at their respective clubs and volleyball assignments.

Recent statistics indicate that this team is one of the most decorated coaches in Uganda and with NO doubt will move the national men's team mountains.

Giving a chance to youngsters:

During preparations and going into the championship; the Head Coach Shilla Omuriwe Buyungo summoned a team whose biggest composition were young players.

Upon appointment as Volleyball Cranes Head Coach, Shilla Omuriwe Buyungo made it very clear that she was to start her stint with not only a big composition of new players but young too.

From her observation, playing, nurturing and giving a chance to young at such a big stage is a pre-requisite to building a formidable national team for the future and as such, she took this scheme for young players very seriously and actually gave them a chance in Rwanda.

And with a pool of coaches across the country, plenty of well-trained players are bound to emerge and the coach going by the team she fielded in Rwanda is willing to give opportunities to many more young players.

For example, the Head Coach was not shy about throwing teenagers in at the deep end, giving them the chance to test themselves against the best in the business. The likes of Jonnathan Rukundo ( Sport-S Volleyball Club), Sammuel Engwau (Vision Volleyball Camp), Jonnathan Tumunkundde (Nemo Stars Volleyball Club), Emmanuel Okia (Ndejje University Volleyball Club) and Marino Oboke( Sport-S Volleyball Club) were some of the players given chance.

Competition for places:

This is the logical consequence of the increasing number of young players in the various national clubs.

The coaches brought through more quality players and this inevitably meant that they was competition for a berth in the starting line-up and thus a good indicator that the fight for places will make the team better in future.

With several players vying for each position, Charles Darwin's theory of the "survival of the fittest" prevails, and the Uganda Volleyball Cranes will be left with the best of the best.

Take an example from the championship when it came to the middle blockers; Dickens Otim now has not only promising but serious back-up from Sam Engwau, Bernard Malinga and Emmanuel Okia while for attackers; Skipper George Aporu and Daudi Okello can now start to get worried of the rising stars in Jonnathan Rukundo,  Jonnathan Tumunkundde, Gideon Angiro, Brian Atuhaire, and Allan Ejiet Olokotum.

Mentality:

Plenty of other countries have a “winning mentality” as the back bone of their good performance and achievement so was one of the characteristics of the Volleyball Cranes at the 2021 Africa Volleyball Championship in Rwanda.

The team should become accustomed to playing at big stages and big games in front of huge crowds.

Take an example of the Uganda Volleyball Cranes bouncing back to defeat Rwanda a team they had lost to in the early stage of the game.

In the group stages, Rwanda defeated Uganda 3-2 (25-15, 21-25, 23-25, 25-11, 15-9) while Uganda won the battle for 5th place 3-1(21-25, 25-23,25-20,25-13).

Planning:

This is a traditional sport preparation trait that is still a big challenge with national teams in Uganda however, going in to this championship and it is with no doubt that the early preparations served the team well at the championship

For example, the Uganda Volleyball Cranes went into early preparations including going into camp for close to three weeks and leaving for Rwanda the host country for the championship in time; a move that fostered team chemistry and spirit.

Compiled by by Joseph Mary Ssempiira and Chris Onyat www.sportznow.ug writers.