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The Tale of a Basketball fan: Shillah's Unrivalled Love for KIU Titans and Rangers.

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By Isaac Akugizibwe

KIU, Main Campus - With a mask covering the lower half of her face, basketball enthusiast Dornam Shillah Amumpaire (wearing black cap in photo) turns up to watch KIU basketball teams train every evening as well as helping the technical team prepare training materials.

Even when COVID-19 restricted the public from accessing the court, final year Mass Communication student, Shillah and her best friend Peace were exempted.

Shillah's presence at the Basketball court is so significant that it is easy to notice her absence when she is off.

 She may not be the loudest or even the most animated but her charismatic unwanton expression of passion for the game and the KIU Titans and Rangers itself makes her stand out of crowds on matchdays.

Despite being an undisputable basketball fan, Shillah has never played the beautiful game. She was a proficient footballer during high school and only managed to support the KIU football team in her first year at University. 

Inspired by the intensity, tempo and extraordinary displays, Shillah first fell in love with basketball in 2017, and ever since then, her love for the game has never withered.

That year, Shillah had the best moment of her basketball cheering career. That moment was when KIU Titans beat Pemba warriors to progress to their first-ever final against eventual champions City Oilers.

"My most memorable moment as Titans fan is when we qualified for finals in 2017.We sang ,chanted and danced. I can never forget that moment," says a smiling Shillah.

On the flip side, she recounts the days when she would cry after watching the Titans lose. She says it is rather hard to control tears on a bad day.

She admits that the team's performance this season has excited her to the extent that she had to forget the stress and anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

She is hopeful that the team will eventually prove the odds wrong this season when the matches resume and commends the KIU Basketball fraternity for making the best signings and keeping the team in shape.

Shillah is looking forward to the moment that can rival or even better that of 2017 at the end of this season.

All she wants is to see is Titans and Rangers win and keep bleeding green as well as happiness. She is determined to support the Titans and Rangers for the rest of her life and hopes nothing else will steal her love.

Courtesy Photo