Mbarara hosts national basketball elites for JOVOC Open

Uganda’s top secondary school basketball teams are set to converge in Mbarara for the highly anticipated St Joseph’s Basketball Open, scheduled for March 8 in the western city.

The annual tournament, commonly known as the JOVOC Open, brings together both boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from across the country. It also serves as an important warm-up event for schools preparing for the new season of the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) competitions.

Tournament organiser Alex Byamukama confirmed that all top teams, including national boys’ champions Hope SS Watoto, have confirmed participation in this year’s edition.

“We have all preparations in gear and all is set for the competition. We are blessed to have the confirmation of national reigning boys’ champions Watoto that will, among the elite teams, take part in the competition,” said Byamukama.

The event has also attracted other national basketball powerhouses, including Seeta High, Seeta Main, Maryland, Bethel Covenant, Nyakasura School, Masaka SS, and defending boys’ and girls’ champions Elite High School Entebbe, among others.

Organised by St Joseph’s Vocational School Mbarara, the JOVOC Open is a prestigious basketball championship for secondary schools in Uganda, welcoming teams from all regions. The tournament, which began in 2013 with just 11 participating schools, has grown significantly, now drawing over 30 teams each year.

Byamukama emphasised that the event’s goal is to develop basketball from the grassroots and give schools from western Uganda the opportunity to compete against top teams, particularly from central Uganda.

In the boys’ category, Nakivale SS holds the record for the most titles (2018, 2019, and 2023), followed by Nyakasura School (2014, 2016). 

St Joseph’s (2013), Masaka SS (2015), Kabale Trinity College (2017), Ndejje SS (2020), Bethel Covenant College (2022), and reigning champions Elite High School Entebbe have all won the title once.

The girls’ category has seen past victories from Maryhill High School, St Mary’s Vocational School Kyamuhunga, Exodus College Wakiso, and St Noa Girls Zana.