NATCHITOCHES – A process that began before he played his first basketball game at Northwestern State will allow Chris Mubiru a chance of a lifetime.
 
Mubiru, a rising junior guard, was selected to represent Uganda in the FIBA Afrobasket Tournament in Angola. Muburiu left Natchitoches, where he spent the summer, Thursday to prepare for the event, which runs from Aug. 12-24.
 
"It started from my junior year in high school," Mubiru said. "One of the coaches in Africa was following me, keeping up with me. They watched me my junior and senior years in high school and then my freshman year at NSU. This past spring is when the head coach for the national team contacted me and invited me to play."
 
Uganda qualified for its fourth Afrobasket event in February, looking to top its best finish, which was a sixth-place mark in 2021 – the most recent tournament. There are 16 teams competing, including two-time defending champion Tunisia. Uganda opens pool play Aug. 12 against Senegal with additional pool games against Mali (Aug. 14) and Egypt (Aug. 16). All three games will be played in Angola's capital city, Luanda.
 
Mubiru was born in the United States, but his inclusion on the Ugandan national team came via his mother, a native Ugandan. Mubiru's phone call to his mother to tell her about his national team selection engendered the expected response.
 
"I had been talking with my mom about it," Mubiru said. "She said that would be big, be able to put my country on the map. When I told her, she was so excited. She was jumping up and down at the house, so I know she was really excited, like she'd been waiting on it."
 
Third-year Northwestern coach Rick Cabrera can understand the feeling of a family member representing a national team. Cabrera's father, Hugo, was a trailblazing player from the Dominican Republic whose influence remains decades after his playing career ended.
 
"This is a special moment and a special opportunity for Chris," Cabrera said. "It is also a very proud moment for our staff and for our program. I know Chris will represent both us and his family very well on and off the court and will provide a truly memorable moment for himself and his family."
 
This will not be the first trip to Africa for Mubiru, who came to Northwestern from West Oaks Academy in Florida, but it likely will be one he remembers much better than the trip he took there when he was 7 for his mother's wedding.
 
"I'm going to take more time to soak it in, just to learn more about Africa," said Mubiru, who has appeared in 60 games with 14 starts in his first two collegiate seasons. "When I was younger, I didn't really know what was going on. The tournament isn't going to be in Uganda, but if I get any time to reach out to anybody that I know out there, I will and whatever happens, happens with it. I don't really know what to expect, but I'm ready for it."