Ugandan trio catch SYSTM eye as international pathway opens up

Three young Ugandan basketball players have moved a step closer to possible opportunities abroad after catching the eye of scouts at the SYSTM Elite Camp Uganda.

The camp was held at Lugogo Indoor Stadium on Wednesday. Junior Silverbacks players Evans Shyaka and Pierre Laurent Rwuhiriro were selected alongside HBAcademy and Emma High School prospect Orom Khor.

The three were picked from a group of players assessed by Los Angeles-based basketball management and development company SYSTM Sports.

SYSTM is looking to create pathways for promising young players to access basketball and educational opportunities in the United States, Canada and other international markets.

For Shyaka and Rwuhiriro, the selection builds on performances they have already delivered for Uganda on the continental stage. At the 2025 FIBA U16 AfroBasket in Rwanda, Shyaka averaged 11.2 points per game.

Rwuhiriro was one of Uganda’s strongest inside players, averaging eight points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

His 10.8 rebounds were the best return by a Ugandan player at the tournament, while Shyaka finished among the Junior Silverbacks’ leading scorers. Uganda eventually finished fifth after defeating Tunisia 66-55 in the fifth-place playoff.

The Junior Silverbacks had narrowly missed out on the semifinals after losing 53-50 to Cameroon in the quarterfinals.

Those performances help explain why international talent identification programmes are beginning to take a closer interest in Uganda’s emerging players.

Khor’s selection also highlights another important route. Unlike Shyaka and Rwuhiriro, his profile has been built largely through school and academy basketball.

He is attached to Henrison Basketball Academy (HBA) and Emma High School, and his emergence shows that opportunities are not limited to players already established in the national-team system.

For all three players, however, selection at Lugogo is only the beginning. The objective is to expose identified prospects to schools, colleges and development programmes overseas.

Selection from the camp does not automatically guarantee a scholarship or placement. The camp was conducted by SYSTM Sports in partnership with the Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations.

It also brought in coaches, schools and academies already involved in developing players locally.

SYSTM Sports founder Dimitrios Seymour has worked in basketball representation for more than a decade. He is listed by the National Basketball Players Association as a certified agent with SYSTM Sports in Los Angeles.

His experience stretches across the NBA, G League, college basketball and international markets.

SYSTM’s work in Africa has also increasingly focused on identifying young players who could eventually access opportunities abroad.

The Uganda initiative has been coordinated by SYSTM Sports partner Duncan Mutembani, who has worked with FUBA and members of the local basketball community to organise the programme.

Coaches Consio, Henry Malinga, Henrison Mbaziira and Albert Aciko have also been involved in player identification and preparation.

Academies including HBA have contributed to the process. For Ugandan basketball, the significance of the camp will ultimately depend on what happens after the selections.

Uganda is increasingly producing competitive junior national teams and promising school players. The bigger challenge is turning that talent into sustained basketball and educational opportunities beyond the country.

International exposure can give young players access to stronger competition, specialised coaching and better development environments.

It can also open the door to education through high school and university scholarship programmes.

The SYSTM Elite Camp therefore offers another potential bridge between the talent being developed in Uganda and opportunities elsewhere.

For Khor, Shyaka and Rwuhiriro, Wednesday’s selection has put them on that bridge; the next question is how far it can take them.

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