FEASSA Games Preps: “At Kitende You either be number one or number one, No explanations – Basketball Coach Narrates

By: kayiirajackson@gmail.com 

With only twelve days to the 21st edition of the FEASSA games, the most decorated school, St Mary’s Boarding Secondary School has intensified training as they gear up to defend their basketball titles won last year. 

For starters, Bukedea Comprehensive School and Amus College School are the hosting schools of the 21st edition that is commencing on 16th August 2024.

With the Voice of Bugerere FEASSA Games Preparation series, the media outlet visited St Mary’s basketball team camp and their head coach, Okello Boniface expressed to school’s readiness to defend the championship. 

“The girls are in good shape and always, our sole target is to win the championship nothing else.” Said Okello Boniface in an exclusive interview with Voice of Bugerere. 

The former UCU Lady Canons coach revealed to this website that at Kitende, they know only one language, win, win and win, nothing else that’s why they program their students playing all disciplines to be winners no other option. 

“It’s a result over a reason I can put it like that, you can’t explain about the referees, about the coach, all they want is a championship, you are either number one or number one.” Said Okello Boniface

“That’s why you see a lot of pressure that comes in different disciplines.” He revealed.

“And I think it’s a good take for the administration and Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa, he doesn’t need any explanations of what happens, just prepare well and if there are hiccups anywhere, you bridge it now, so when you come back and you don’t have a Championship, he may not even talk to you, that’s all what he wants, he is an animal’.

“But I think he is also starting to appreciate that sometimes it’s tough in this championship, we lost and never made it to the final in the 3*3 basketball in Soroti but he thanked the team for the performance. ” 

Boniface who joined coaching in 2006 revealed that for the past 15 years he has been at Kitende, girls basketball has improved a lot and the teams are competing. 

“Girls basketball has improved by far from where I started at Kitende to now, it has improved and I need to thank the coaches and technical teams for different schools for the job well done,…. They have improved not as Kitende, at Kitende always teams come in hard and they also learn different techniques that we do.” 

“You find the school has more than three coaches which is a plus, those days, you come to compete with a team that has no coach, so it has changed and improved a lot however we’re also not sleeping, we go down to the drawing board and study more. ” He explained. 

Okello is one of the toughest coaches on touchline in school’s basketball but he has explained that; I would say, I am not tough per say, what they really understand with me is if it’s work, it’s really work, I explain to them that I didn’t come to be liked but all I need is to execute and get the job done.” Said the coach. 

For the first time in his coaching career at St Mary’s, Boniface confessed that he has never settled for a bronze medal until the Soroti championship came in when they lost to Nabisunsa Girls in 3*3 and his captain, Saimah Christine revealed that they made a lot of mistakes as players but they are now ready to defend their title at East Africa. 

“Yes while in Soroti, we never played well, we lost to Nabisunsa in 3*3, we concede that we made a number of mistakes, but we’re here to rectify the mistakes that we did and as a senior six student who is leaving high school, I am going to Bukedea to win both trophies, 5*5 and 3*3.” Saimah Christine, St Mary’s Kitende basketball captain said. 

Saimah said that Buddo or any other school has never been a challenge to them apart from St Noa Girls. 

“We do not fear any school in East Africa but the side that we always want to beat is St Noa Girls…. Maybe I can say St Noa is our close competitor. ” Saimah revealed. 

On Saturday at YMCA Wandegeya, the school had her second build up match that came against JKL Lady Dolphins, they lost it 57-31 like they did against KIU Rangers when they lost 76-68 at Kansanga. 

St Mary’s first lifted the FEASSA title in 2015 and in the last ten years they have managed to win five trophies in 5*5 and two titles in 3*3 the discipline that was unveiled in 2022.