All You Need to Know as KIU Titans Take on City Oilers in NBL Finals
posted on Aug. 28, 2024, 7:21 a.m. - By Isaac Akugizibwe
KIU Titans will be meeting City Oilers for the third time in the finals when the two face off in the highly anticipated 2024 National Basketball League finals on Wednesday evening (9 PM) at Lugogo Indoor Arena.
The Titans reached the NBL finals in 2017 and 2023 and lost to the City Oilers on both occasions. There is hope that this formidable team can go the extra mile this time around.
Julius Lutwama's team has been impressive all season long despite starting this year's campaign with a loss to the Namuwongo Blazers, a team they dispatched in the semifinals.
They will face a new look City Oil team that will be boosted by the addition of Parrish Petty, who starred in game three of the semifinals as they eliminated UCU Canons.
KIU Titans are yet to beat City Oilers this season having lost all the regular season encounters,72-63 and 71-43 respectively.
Besides aiming for a redemption,the Titans will look to keep the momentum from the semifinals to take control of the best of seven finals series.
History Awaits
It will be the third final in a row for skipper Collins Kasujja and guard Peter Obleng, who were part of the Namuwongo Blazers team that lost to City Oilers in game seven of the 2022 finals.
The duo's return home saw KIU Titans reach finals in 2023 before falling short in game six when the Oilers won their record ninth trophy in a row.
For rookie Carlos Isabu, it is a fairy tale debut season. The 21-year-old who joined KIU Titans in January 2024 is marking his first season in Uganda's top-flight basketball.
It will also be the first time for Denis Omara, Juf Mpiya, and Pierre Kasereka Tembo to play in the National Basketball League finals. For Omara, being in the playoffs alone was a first-time achievement despite being in his third year of the National Basketball League.
Julius Lutwama is already the first coach to take KIU Titans to two consecutive National Basketball League finals
The Titans will look to take control of the final series to win their first ever National Basketball League crown.
Kasujja's Reaction
"We didn't have enough time to rest, but we are ready for the moment, and I have been talking to my teammates to remain composed and focused on the main goal," he said on Tuesday.
"The semifinals were a final of their own, and we are set to remain in that mindset to take control of the real final series."
"I have been at the finals two times in the last two years, coming short in all. I feel this is the time for that effort and sacrifice that brought me this far to payoff."
Team News
The Titans will not have Ahmed Kassa, who is still out nursing a long-term injury, while guard Joel Lukoji Banza is expected to start again after worryingly finishing game five of the semifinals with an injury scare.
Ivan Lumanyika will be back to where he's familiar with—the finals against a team he's familiar with.
The rest of the KIU Titans squad is fit and available to impress again.
Game two of the 2024 National Basketball League finals is scheduled for Friday, August 30, 2024.
