What started as a simple pastime game has turned into a powerful career journey for a woman breaking barriers in Uganda’s basketball scene. Angela Namirimu is the only female basketball coach in the National basketball league.
Angella Namirimu’s journey began at Nabisunsa Girls School, where she joined without a sports background. What began as leisure quickly turned serious after joining the school’s competitive basketball team.
“It was where can we chill after class -not so dusty, fun, confotable, nice,” she remembers.
Her talent and dedication paid off, earning her a basketball scholarship at Uganda Christian University, where she pursued and completed a Bachelor of Laws degree.
“A lot changed while I was there. Joing a university that has many teams and you are like in team F and wonder when will I play,”
After university, Namirimu featured for top sides including JKL and KCCA before transitioning into coaching, where her leadership caught the attention of the Our Saviour basketball family.
Namirimu is the only female head coach in the National Basketball League this season, leading the Pearl Queens, a team she successfully guided from Division One to the top-tier league.
Veteran sports journalist John Vianey Nsimbe describes her as one of the best point guards, but also an athlete-turned coach who has gone through all stages.
“Seeing her progress from high schol, to club and then win championships, represnet the country and now a coach. You see someone who has fone through all stages,” he noted.
“The reason she makes me proud is because I have watched her play from when she was still a very young basketball player,”he adds.
Despite her success, Namirimu continues to navigate challenges in a male-dominated sport, where earning trust as a female coach remains an uphill task, especially in managing players once her peers.
According to Namirimu, success is not measured in medals or accolades but in growth when what challenged her yesterday can’t challenge her today.
From a casual game to a career of purpose, Namirimu is not only coaching a team but also inspiring a new generation to believe in the power of passion and persistence.
