City Oilers remain the only unbeaten side in the men’s top- flight of the National Basketball League.
They have won all their six games so far this season. The only other team that came close to matching that record is the Rezlife Saints. But they lost the sixth game, hence having a still rather enviable record of five wins and one defeat.
Rezlife face the league’s defending champions, Namuwongo Blazers on March 25 at Abja Park in Naalya. Like Rezlife, Namuwongo are the only other team, that has lost only one league game this season.
The difference, however, is in the fact that Namuwongo have played only five games. While Namuwongo easily dispatched of Rezlife 2-0 in the best of three quarter-final playoff last year, this season looks a different ball game. Rezlife look stronger, and like Namuwongo, appear to harbour relatively similar ambitions.
Although Oilers seem like a team holding fort as number one in the regular season, who will be the substantive number two is still up in the air. Not many would have expected Rezlife to begin the 2026 season the way they have.
Yet, their ascent to where they are on the league table has been remarkable. The quality of basketball they have been playing has been impressive, something the head coach, Moses Okwera attributed to the overwhelming desire to make strides from last season.
Although it was impressive, finishing as the number eight seed in the division last year, Okwera said that they worked so hard on their flaws, so that they were better and more competitive this year. First of all, together with his assistant, Michael Seger, they have assembled a team with a lot of youth, athleticism and expression.
The energy with which Rezlife play, added to the tactical discipline they showcase while on court, has made them a joy to behold. Defensively, they are stern, while offensively, lethal. Whether it is the guards or forwards, the whole team has been a truly functional item in their own right.
In fact, Rezlife’s point-guard, Mike Otieno has proved to be arguably the best player in that role across the league. Yet, even more outstanding, has been the team’s shooting guard, Edrine Ekau.
It is hard to remember a rookie in the NBL that has had such a profound influence on any team like Ekau has. The former under-18 international in 2024, has been his team’s top- scorer in almost every game thus far this season.
He has averaged 17.6 points per game, yet in his NBL debut game, he scored more than 20 points. Rezlife’s consistency is the kind that teams aiming to fight for the championship tend to have. But considering how inexperienced they are, sustaining this to a game seven of the playoff finals still seems far-fetched.
Yet, what looks certain is the fact that they appear to have taken over the position the JT Jaguars finished in during the regular season last year. Surely, Rezlife did not stop at only capturing shooting guard Kevin Moru from the Jaguars.
Against that background, their clash with Namuwongo is highly billed to be an exciting one, as it will prove a big test for the Saints. One must consider that Rezlife lost their last league to Sommet a fortnight ago. And that came on the back of Sommet losing three games in four.
Perhaps, considering how much Sommet was beefed up for this season, few were surprised that they handed Rezlife their first and only defeat so far, 83-73. Sommet are still highly fancied to be Namuwongo and Oilers’ biggest challengers.
But they remain unpredictable. Unpredictability is an aspect Namuwongo overcame last season en route to winning a first championship. Yet, they do not appear to be playing at their best level now.
Ordinarily, that should make Rezlife believe in their powers to maintain second spot until the end of the first round because after a meeting with the defending champions, the next opponents are not the kind with pedigree to worry them. While at this time in the season, being second, third or fourth may not matter much to a team like Namuwongo, for Rezlife, it does.
Seger said earlier: “It is important for us not only to play structured basketball, but also to build momentum with a winning culture. That should prepare us for the tougher times in the season.”
The tougher times are obviously the play-offs. Those are times that Namuwongo are too familiar with, considering the experience they boast of. Notably, Namuwongo has so many scorers in its ranks compared to Rezlife that largely depends on three: Otieno, Ekau and Moru. As Rezlife aim to go toe- to-toe with Namuwongo, in their quest to who is the second best team in the regular season, that shortcoming has to be addressed.
Rin Tueny, Duot Ajang and Suka Fadul, the average of a combined 15 points per game is unlikely to suffice against a team with Jimmy Enabu, Ivan Muhwezi, Arthur Wanyoto, Peter Obleng and Innocent Ochera. That is a fire-power that has won a championship, and after losing to Oilers in the opener, their ego has been hurt enough!
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