Hawks Home     UGISA Home

Team History

Player Profiles

Gulu Hawks Team Profile

2008 Season: The Sky’s the Limit!

The Hawks have some of the fastest guards and the biggest centers in the league. With such talent, the Hawks have the potential to win the First Division 2008 championship…Go Hawks!

Team History*

2004: National League Debut

The Gulu Hawks first registered with FUBA as a basketball club in 2004. In the same year, the team joined the MTN National Basketball league in Division II. In the first appearance of the Hawks, the team finished in fifth position. This was the first time a team from northern Uganda participated in the national basketball league and it was a unexpectedly successful debut for the Hawks. Because Gulu is known only as a place of war and conflict, Ugandans in the rest of the country were quite surprised by the performance of the Hawks. No one believed there was basketball in Gulu.

2005: Division II Champions

In the 2005 basketball season, the Hawks made their second appearance and finished first out of 10 teams at the end of the first and second round of Division II. They played Nonem basketball club in the three-game semi-final playoffs; the Hawks won the first two games to advance to the final. In the championship game the Hawks played Livingstone basketball club and won the best of five series 3-0. At the end of the tournament, the Gulu Hawks were named the most improved team and was promoted to Division I.

2006: Division I Debut

In 2006 the Gulu Hawks played in Division I for the first time and finished 7th out of 10 teams. At the end of the season, three teams were relegated to Division II, so the Hawks were relegated to the second division for the 2007 season. During the regular season, some teams did not honor their scheduled games in Gulu -- this affected the team’s standings negatively. As well, due to lack of a sponsor, the Hawks forefeited two games in Kampala because they were unable to travel.

2007: Third-Place, Division II

In the 2007 MTN basketball league the Hawks played in the second division. The Hawks finished in second place after first and second round games and proceeded to the semi-final to play Crane High basketball club. Playing a best of three series, the Hawks won the first game and lost the final two games. The Hawks finished third overall to qualify for the First Division 2008 basketball league.

2008 Season: The Sky’s the Limit!

The Hawks have some of the fastest guards and the biggest centers in the league. With such talent, the Hawks have the potential to win the First Division 2008 championship.

Playing Through Diversity

For the three years the Gulu Hawks have been in existence, the team hasn’t had an official coach. Dennis Akena has acted as interim coach. Because the team has been lacking sponsorship, in most cases only six players would travel for games in Kampala. Many times the team would play a game the same day they traveled from Gulu and again on the following day.

Ordinarily, each team plays one game every week or every other week. Because the Hawks didn’t have a sponsor and couldn’t travel to Kampala each weekend for game, the Hawks negotiated a special arrangement to allow them to play two teams in one weekend. The volume of travel and resulting fatigue has always affected the team’s performance.

Team Defaults on Games in Gulu

Initially, many teams did not honor games in Gulu, which limited the basketball action in Kampala. The defaults had been affecting the team for the last two years until the Hawks advocated for a new policy wherein if a team does not honor first-round games, all points are given to the other team, including the second-round games. Consequently, teams have now started honoring the Gulu games. Previously, the Hawks often came up short in scoring; e.g., when the Gulu Hawks tied on cumulative standing points with a team, FUBA considered the goal average to determine advantage. Such scoring did not favor the Hawks due to the many forfeited games (walk-overs) during each season.

Heart for the Game

The key factor in the Gulu Hawks’ stellar performance in the league is that the players have tremendous heart for the game; they love the game regardless of whether they earn a living from the game or not; when the courts are spoilt or the backboards are broken, the players contribute money voluntarily for repairs.

The Players

Most of the Gulu Hawks players are students in high school and University and some have dropped out of school. The players provide training kits for themselves and sometimes pay their own money to travel to Kampala. When balls are worn out, players contribute money to replace them, though at times it takes awhile to gather the necessary amounts.

Eighteen players were officially registered for the 2007 season. In the 2008 season, the Hawks are planning on recruiting new players to prepare for first division competition. Several key players who can strengthen the Hawks’ presence on the court have already been identified. Hopefully the planned addition of two power forwards and two guards to the team will put the Hawks into position to be serious contenders for the playoffs. The number of teams in the first division may be increased to 12 teams which mean more games will be played.

» PLAYER PROFILES

Resource and Equipment Needs

The biggest problem Hawks players face is lack of equipment and playing kits. Some players train bare foot and others do not turn-up until they get a pair of training shoes.

Hawks Seek Coach

As of yet there is no full-time coach who can dedicate time to working with the team. The team captain has acted as the coach, though it has been challenging to maintain discipline and consistency. Sourcing a coach is high on the agenda of the Hawks.

Basketball Court Repairs, Other Facility Improvements

Currently there are three basketball courts; however two courts are completely damaged. One court is in fair condition, but the backboards and rings are in bad shape. The two courts that are spoilt will be put to use once repaired. One court will be for ladies—and the third court will be for the kids and under 16 team.

Several major teams will be visiting Gulu during the 2008 season; the Hawks are planning to fence one court so that they can start accepting gate collections and generate money to support the club.

(*Adapted text submitted by Hawks Chairman Dennis Akena, 2007)

(A few of the Hawks players take a group photo, Kaunda Grounds)