The Minister of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Engineer Hillary Onek has advised youth involved in sports to put emphasis on God and hard work if they are to achieve the desired success.
Onek made the call on Monday when he paid a courtesy visit to Miracle Center Cathedral, the home of Miracle Basketball Club.
“There are many opportunities that the youth can gain through sports but it takes discipline, patience and handwork if one is to succeed,” cautioned Onek who is also a former basketball player
After the minister’s interactions with Pastor Robert Kayanja, he was introduced to the Miracle Center Cathedral (MCC) Eagles, who had just wrapped their training session.
In his playing days, from 1969 until 1970, Minister Hillary Onek was the captain of the school basketball team at St Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK). He was also the Mitchell Hall Basketball Team captain from 1971 until 1973 while at Makerere University.
“Given where we are in the season, this visit from a minister was good motivation for the boys, having a government official interested in what they were doing,” said Coach Joel Kizza.
The minister then had a brief catch-and-shoot drill with the team before interacting with them about their chances in Division 1.
“I see a group of passionate young men who want this sport to mean something for them and their future.
“Attaching such a basketball program to the church and the community is the kind of work that makes me salute Pastor Kayanja for his continued dedication to taking care of our country’s next leaders and future,” Onek said.
Pastor Kayanja also confirmed to the minister that the team was on the up and that the new home of the MCC Eagles was under construction and in no time, they will be hosting games in their own home.
The Eagles hope to regain their former glory and Pastor Kayanja believes that having a home to host games will help them achieve that and also build a strong support system from the community who will be able to relate to a basketball team with a home ground.
The Miracle Eagles are coming off a narrow 72-69 win over Kampala University at YMCA Wandegeya to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Eagles currently lie in 7th place after 21 games and are relying on the services of star performers Edward Ngobi, Kato Paul Kasule, Malok Marol and John Otuko to make a push for the playoffs.
The Eagles need two wins from the remaining seven games to lock down a playoff spot and aim for promotion to the National Basketball League.
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