While the Uganda Gazelles may have fallen short of their ambitions at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket in Abidjan, one name still shone brightly—Jane Asinde.
The Gazelles captain capped off her campaign with a place on the tournament’s prestigious All-Star team, reaffirming her status as one of Africa’s elite players. It marks her second such honor in under a year, having previously bagged MVP at the FIBA Zone V Qualifiers in Cairo.
Despite Uganda finishing a disappointing 7th overall, Asinde’s numbers told a different story: she averaged 15.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, leading her side with a tournament-high efficiency rating of 17.6 among Zone V participants.
Her impact was immediate. In the opening game, she tallied 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in an emphatic 88–51 win over Guinea. Against tournament giants Senegal, she delivered a standout performance—18 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists, along with 2 steals and a block.
She followed that with another double-double in the heartbreaking 69–68 quarterfinal loss to South Sudan, contributing 15 points, 11 boards, and 6 assists.
Although she dipped against Mozambique with just 7 points, she bounced back in Uganda’s final game against hosts Côte d’Ivoire, posting 24 points and 10 rebounds in a resurgent performance.
If there were any doubts about her importance, her absence in games against Rwanda and Mozambique—due to injury—left a significant void that likely influenced Uganda’s overall finish.
Asinde ended the tournament as Uganda’s second-highest scorer with 65 points, and her presence on the court throughout the years has been vital in the Gazelles’ rise, including their history-making appearance at the 2023 Zone V tournament in Kigali.
Off the international court, Asinde’s basketball résumé continues to grow. In college, she crossed the 1,000-point career mark, finishing with 1,151 points, and earned a spot on the Conference USA Preseason All-Conference team in NCAA Women’s basketball.
In 2023, she represented Africa at the Global Jam Fives U23, selected by the Basketball Africa League (BAL)—becoming the only Ugandan on the squad.
From her early days at Buddo SS, through stints with JKL Lady Dolphins, Wichita State, UTEP, and China’s Henan Phoenix, Asinde has now penned the next chapter of her journey with a move to Azul Marino in Spain’s Liga Femenina Challenge.
