Close to a week ago, the JT Lady Jaguars beat the defending champions JKL Lady Dolphins 93-62, to cement their place atop the National Basketball League table standings.
The Jaguars have only lost two of their 20 regular season games. With two more rounds left for them to play in the regular season, this should be their best showing since they made their top flight debut in 2023.
Last season alone, the Jaguars lost four games in regular season. But considering how both KIU Rangers and Nabisunsa (the remaining teams Jaguars is yet to face in the second round) have struggled in the bottom half of the league, it is unlikely they will be a match for the Jaguars when they meet next month.
However, with all said and done, it is clear that for whatever the Jaguars have showcased this season, the winning culture is truly catching on at the Den, which is the name of their home in Kira.
To put context to all this, Jaguars have won games even when the odds were stuck against them. For a host of second round games, they have had to use seven players in their rotation.
This came about when they suffered injuries to important players: Bridget Aber and Brenda Kayaga. Add Amy Chan, who broke her hand, before Kayaga suffered the same fate on her finger, Mercy Batamuliza was away on netball duties, the team was stretched, yet, unfazed.
Jaguars coach, Sudi Ulanga said: “It is about the mentality now. Since the beginning of the season, we knew that we had to improve; not just technically, but also in terms of character. After finishing second last season, we knew that the next step was to push for the championship. Yet, to have a championship mentality, a can-do attitude is important.”
According to Ulanga, a can-do attitude is where everyone must realize that they have a role to play in our goal, which is to win the league. Incidentally, the Jaguars were runners-up last season.
Yet, after winning game one of the best of seven playoff final series, the way they crumbled at the hands of JKL was shocking. The Jaguars lost the series 4-1. Well, for Ulanga, he knows too well why that was never a surprise to him.
“Remember, in 2024, we lost to JKL in the semi-finals 1-3. So, heading into the 2025 campaign, qualifying for the finals was our target, which we achieved. By the time we faced JKL in the final, the players got a bit overwhelmed by the stage and what they had achieved already.”
Against that, Ulanga pointed out that this time, the ambition is to win the league. Provided everyone puts in a shift, winning will be inevitable. A case in point is their 20-year-old guard, Priscilla Nambogo.
The former under-18 international, who represented Uganda in 2022 during the under-18 Africa Championship is truly coming of age. The former Nabisunsa Secondary School student has been the light and shinning armour in the team this season, averaging 11 points per game, something she struggled to do in 2024 and 2025, as she was still finding her feet.