Moving from country to country became par for the course for Vanguard women's basketball alumnus Melissa Akullu, who had to shuttle between Uganda and the U.S. as part of her collegiate life.  Now, one of the best in VU program history will have a new route to cover, as Akullu signed a professional contract for Imortal, a basketball team in Portugal.  Imortal is based in the city of Albufeira, is tied to the main sporting club of the city, and plays in the LFB Women's league of Portugal.  She will take up residence in or around this smaller town on the beautiful southern coast of Portugal that is home to around 30,000 people. 
 
She arrived in Portugal at the end of November, and after getting around a week to train with her teammates, she made her debut on December 8 in a 77-68 victory over Benfica, one of the prominent sporting clubs in the capital, Lisbon.  Akullu tallied eight points and five rebounds in just over 23 minutes of playing time.  Her role increased in her second game as the team played against Barcelos, a club that hails from the northern part of the country.  She logged just over 31 minutes of action, ending third on the team in minutes played in an 85-80 overtime win.  She registered nine points and led the team with 11 rebounds, which included three offensive boards.  She also picked up two steals and three total blocks.  She is now a professional, two games into her first contract, fulfilling a vision long in the making.
 
Her journey to basketball stardom began at the age of 10, when the young Akullu took a stab at every sport she could.  "I tried to play everything, from basketball, to tennis, to lacrosse, to swimming, to track, literally all the sports.  But for some reason, I felt a constant love and calling for basketball," relayed Akullu from her home in Uganda.  "After what would be our elementary school, I went to high school for four years and played and after that I got called to play for the under-18 national team."
 
Captain of her high school team and rising quickly through the ranks of the national team ladder, the opportunities kept opening for her after school, as she ended up affiliated with a local sports club.  This kept her playing the game, and although she was not ready to turn pro at that moment, her time there made her realize that basketball was her future.  "They were not paying me at all, but I was there because of how much love I had for the sport.  And I said, well, this is me, I can't push this away, it's here for me, it's calling to me, and I can't fight it."
 
The Lord then opened the door for her to come to VU, as she got connected with fellow Ugandan Claire Lamunu, who was in the midst of her stellar career at Vanguard.  A friendship quickly formed and despite the vast distance between the nations, Akullu easily chose VU as her next stepping stone.
 
"I had 1,001 worries.  What is my life going to be like, how will I make friends, I am going to start all over, all that stuff was going through my mind.  But for some reason, I had a sense of peace because it just felt like, this was something my mom had been praying for and two, something I had prayed for as well for the longest time.  If the Lord opened this door for me, there is a reason that He did so.  That feeling of calm and peace kept with me, and it was not easy, but I made it through!"

 
"And I had a decent career." 
 
Just a decent career?  She ended with 1,520 points in three seasons, one of which was limited to 21 games the season after the COVID cancelations.  That puts her seventh all-time at Vanguard in total points and her 20 points per game average is third on the career leaderboard.  She is fourth in total rebounds with 922 and has the best rebounds per game average at 12.1.  The accolades piled up, as she was a three-time NAIA All-American, with her final two seasons netting her First-Team honors.  She was a three-time All-Golden State Athletic Conference Team selection and was the conference's Player of the Year in her final two seasons.  Along with rewards for her performance on the court, Akullu was a three-time GSAC and NAIA Scholar Athlete and was honored with the NAIA's Emil L. Liston Scholarship award, which recognizes both academic and athletic excellence by a junior student-athlete.  More than decent indeed.
 
All of her success catapulted her to the Ugandan national team, joining Lamunu and company for the 2023 Afrobasket Tournament in Kigali, Rwanda.  The two Lions prominently featured in the tournament for Uganda, where the team made news by defeating Senegal before finishing in seventh.  Akullu averaged 9.2 PPG and Lamunu 8.5 for the tournament, with both finishing top five in the tournament in average rebounds (Akullu T-4th, 9.3, Lamunu 5th, 8.7).
 
"It was so surreal.  I looked up to Claire when I was 12 or 13.  To play on the same team as her, have her right there and be able to ask her questions in the game, was a full circle moment for me.  I am forever blessed to have had that opportunity.  It was amazing!  We were so free and having so much fun.  It felt amazing to wear the name of my country across my chest.  I did not take it for granted and I will never take it for granted.  I hope to get a chance to play again and hope we can do even better than we did last time."
 
That chance is in the offing, as the tournament returns in 2025 and will be held in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan.  If Uganda qualifies for the 12-team field, and Akullu makes the team, hopefully some of that 2023 magic returns because knocking off Senegal remains one of her favorite topics to bring up in conversation.  "I will forever talk about that…it literally feels like it happened yesterday!" 
 
"That game, everyone was looking at us like underdogs, and no one expected anything.  But we kept it close."

Close is the correct term, as the two sides were not separated by much throughout the game.  Uganda led 57-56 entering the fourth quarter and outscored Senegal by one in the final frame, but with Akullu and Lamunu leading all players with 10 rebounds each, victory came for Uganda 85-83 at the final horn.
 
"Our coach gave us a game plan and we executed it to a T.  At the end of the day, it felt so unreal.  When my teammate got the last steal and scored and got fouled, I thought, that's insane.  Amazing.  I could relive that moment over and over again.  The celebrations, we had so many fans travel from back home to be there with us, yeah, it was amazing."
 
Akullu has now had success at home, at college and at the international stage in over a decade of basketball.  And she is not letting her initial contract change her from the humble person that she has always been known for.
 
"Shoutout to everyone who made my journey special at Vanguard.  The coaching staff, a lot of the professors, the conferencing office, just everyone at Vanguard in general.  They made my journey special and thank you so much for being a part of it.  I pray God blesses you!"
 
Basketball is now her profession and Akullu is excited to continue her career as for as long as the Lord blesses her.  But when basketball is done, many years from now, is there anything else for Akullu to conquer?
 
"I want to eventually do a master's degree, maybe in sports management.  But my end-all-be-all is flight school.  I don't mind long flights because I'm so fascinated by everything that goes on."
 
So perhaps Akullu will be your captain on a flight years from now, a Ugandan basketball hero turned into a master of the air.  But her attention now is solely focused on helping Imortal, who is in the mix for a good result in the standings.  On the court, the lineup has won three contests in a row and are four games back from first while armed with the third-best scoring offense in the league.  And now they add one of Vanguard's best to that potent mix.  Imortal play next in a league cup game on December 21st before finishing off the calendar year with a regular season game against Uniao Sportiva on the 29th. 
 
You can find scores and updates to the standings for Imortal here as Akullu and Imortal progress through the season. 

And luckily, it is easier to keep with Akullu as a fan than as a player on the court.  Look out Portugal, Akullu has landed.