THE long-awaited Zone 5 basketball championship gets underway this afternoon at Amahoro indoor stadium.
After close to one month in camp, the national team’s head coach Vaceslav Kavedzija does not see why his team cannot reign supreme in the one week tournament which has been reduced to four teams in the men’s category and six in the women fray.
After Egypt’s withdraw last week, Somalia also pulled out making it an all East African affair; Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda.
In the ladies category; Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda are in contention.
By press time, draws were not yet done but Kavedzija and his players don’t need to be reminded that anything short of first place will put them out of the reckoning for that lone qualification slot for the 10th All Africa Games slated for September in Maputo, Mozambique.
The championship has been jointly funded by the Ministry of Sports and Culture (Minispoc) and Rwanda’s National Olympic Committee.
Men’s team: Andrew Francis (APR), Aboubacar Barame (APR), Darrius Brannon (Houston Blaze), Edwin Mbanda (CSK), Kenny Gasana (AS Sale & NH Ostrava), Jean Louis Habineza (Espoir), Joshua Tarver (Oregon State University), Kami Kabange (APR), Mathew Miller (APR), Aristide Mugabe (CSK), Fiston Muhire (KBC), Olivier Muhizi (NUR), Karim Nkusi (Falcons-Uganda), Hamza Ruhezamihigo (Concordia University) and Thomson Robert Stanley (KLUJ).
Women team: Williams Monique Angelica, Cantina Graham (Miami Rain) Clary Crystal (USA Elite), Jovithe Kabarere (APR), Liliane Kayitesi (NUR), Marie Josee Kayitesi (NUR), Yvette Kirezi (APR), Laetitia Mahoro (Miami Rain), Alice Muhongerwa (NUR), Scholastics Mukandayisenga (NUR), Joselyne Munyaneza (APR), Rehema Shabani (APR) and Tierra Henderson (Houston Jaguars).