Written by Felix Eupal
With the 2010 playoffs heating up like never before, Felix Eupal takes a look at the players who stood out in the regular season and are vying for the regular season MVP accolade.
Men
Joseph Ikong (Dmark Power)
In 2008 Joseph Ikong was instrumental in leading Dmark Power to their second title. He was at the forefront of their offensive, tearing apart defences and rocking rims. This season the 25-year-old has been in more explosive form, averaging 18.2 a game. His only undoing is that he is defensively poor.
Richard Omondi (FALCONS)
The 2009 Zone V MVP came with a lot of hype after leading COOP Bank to the regional title. He was brought in to fill the gap left by the Malinga brothers and he has done it in clinical fashion.
Omondi brought what fans only watch in NBA games to our YMCA grounds. Connecting alley hoops, ankle twisting crossovers and amazing blocks. In every game, this shooting guard is a beauty to watch.
Jimmy Enabu (UCU Canons)
It takes some players a season to fit in a squad, but Jimmy Enabu is not just some player. He is a special player. From the time he made the switch from Knight Riders last season to the UCU Canons this year, one would think he has been at the Mukono-based side for ages. The 22-year-old has played every game, often making good players look bad.
Women
Lorraine Akinyi (Lady Canons)
Akinyi has carried the form she had last season when she was the ladies’ division top scorer. With go-to player Frances Nabulobi nursing a career threatening injury, someone had to come to the party and take up her role. Akinyi is doing just that.
In the second round alone, the centre had impressive averages of 22.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. She has also been on fire in the playoffs as her double-double against KIU Rangers in game one showed.
Sarah Nassuna (KCC Leopards)
Brought in from Makerere Sparks to replace Flavia Oketcho, many critics argued that the 23-year-old would pull up short. She didn’t, much to everyone’s surprise. Even her coach, Timothy Odeke, didn’t expect her to fit into Oketcho’s shoes in such a short period. She has taken on opponents with nerves of steel, averaging nine points and 10 steals.
Judith NaNsobya (KIU Rangers)
Rangers coach, Nimrod Kaboha believes in giving his players freedom to express themselves and no player in his squad has done that more than Nansobya. She might be small but what she lacks in size, she makes up in her shooting abilities and ball handling skills.
Already, she holds the record for the most three-pointers to be shot in a single game in the women’s division this season. She notched down six three-pointers in game two against the Lady Canons.
feupal@observer.ug