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The last time Akon played at Lugogo was in Game Seven of the NBL finals and her 22 points and 29 rebounds helped the Lady Canons to a 75-67 win to deliver the side's eighth championship.
Rose Akon might have played most of her basketball in Uganda but she come from South Sudan and chose to represent them over Uganda.
The centre, who is the reigning women’s National Basketball League Playoffs MVP, now plies her trade in Morocco but is in Kampala to play for South Sudan at the Fiba Women’s Zone V AfroBasket Qualifiers.
The tournament tips off Tuesday evening with Akon and South Sudan taking on Egypt before Uganda faces neighbours Kenya.
In a television interview with NBS Sport, the former UCU Lady Canons star made it known to the world how proud she is to represent her country.
“It is a dream come true for me to play for my country at this level,” Akon said.
“It is also good to be back and to play in Uganda. Uganda is my home,” she added.
The 22-year-old will be making her international debut and will certainly be one of the players to keep an eye on.
She is a dominant figure in the paint and has a reliable shot.
Against Egypt, it will be a case of the dominant force of Zone V against the newest kid on the block. South Sudan are only playing their second tournament ever while Egypt have dominated the zone.
“We have to respect Egypt because they have been here for long,” Akon reasoned.
“But we trust ourselves and will give it our best shot.”
The last time Akon played at Lugogo was in Game Seven of the NBL finals and her 22 points and 29 rebounds helped the Lady Canons to a 75-67 win to deliver the side's eighth championship.
The South Sudan men’s team is a win away from qualifying for the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup and their female counterparts will take inspiration from that.
Luol Deng, a former NBA star and now federation president in South Sudan, has made it a point to have the nation noticed at the highest level.
And while the women’s team might still need some time to be at the top, the progress is there to be seen already and the tournament in Kampala will be yet another opportunity for further assessment.
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