It is not easy to predict the future of Uganda’s basketball unless you have seen youngster Fayed Baale play. It is certainly in safe hands. The future is very bright, and he holds it in his palms to say the least.
The tricky and industrious point guard will be donning UCU Canons jersey this season which will be his debut campaign in the National Basketball League after doing all the wonders in the lower division.
Baale, a young silverback, is the 2018 regular season MVP and top scorer with 301 points for the Division One Men. He achieved that feat while playing for Rez Life last season.
He can’t wait to take on the league’s ‘Big Men’, and that has been his dream while growing up.
Early Life
Baale was born on December 28th, 2001 in Namirembe, Kampala. He is the first of the seven (four boys ans three girls) siblings of Hussein Bujjassi Musoke and Fatuma Namirembe.
“Growing up life was not easy especially as my parents struggled to find school fees and other necessities,” Baale narrates his story exclusively to The SportsNation.
Its this struggle from the start that we all can believe that managed to mould Baale into a soft but explosive machine on court.
“I was introduced to basketball in high school, I attended Mashariki High and Kisasi College school,” he adds. “I started in a joking way as I used to like soccer so much not until Coach Zayed Kamal introduced me to Basketball.”
Baale explains that his interest towards basketball was very low until he played in the 2015 Junior NBA league. He also adds that Basketball has been of great impact to his life.
Climbing The Ranks
His career started slowly with Berkley Reloaded in 2016 before joining LC Hoovers basketball club the following year and the youngster comments that its those two D-league clubs that helped him improve his game.
It was in 2018 when he joined Rez Life Basketball club, the team which he credits to have added great impact and opened doors for the next opportunities.
Joining UCU
UCU Coach Nicholas Natuhereza has been following this upcoming star, and it didn’t come as a surprise when he offered him a place on the team and a scholarship to study at the Mukono based University.
Baale made his cameo appearance in the concluded UCU Invitational tournament, and he left a mark. He had impressive minutes against Betway Power where he received strong applause from the fans.
On life at Campus, he says:
“The team here is of good. Since we are God fearing, disciplined, and hard workers, We easily cooperate and every one is friendly to each other.
“All in all the team and campus are all very good and I feel happy and blessed to be here.”
League Expectations
Baale is in the good hands of Coach Natuhereza and if there was any team where he could elevate his career to another level, we all have to believe that it is at UCU.
UCU will begin their league campaign on April 14, facing Ndejje University before Our Savour and KCCA Men.
Speaking about his debut, he revealed that he just can’t wait to ball:
“This is my first time to play in the league. I know am going to meet players of great experience, this means a lot to me because I know am going to learn a lot from them.
“Since it’s competition, I will have to compete with them. I will have to say that am going to put up my best and am happy to play in the league.”
Joas Maheta, Gideon Kasasa, Caesar Adoke and Arion Osama are some of the guards on the team, but Baale affirms that he is not scared of the competition.
“Am not scared of the competition on the team because I know it’s the only thing that can help my game grow and I take it as a blessing.”
“Am at UCU mainly to do my role as a Point Guard and am willing to command on court in order to fulfill my role on the team.”
The NBL is littered with good talented guards like Michael Bwanga (KIU Titans), Jimmy Enabu (City Oilers) and Fahmy Ssebatindira (Betway Power) to mention but a few. Baale is not there yet, but he might reach that level quickly if things break right.
