Espoir, Patriots square off in hoops league
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Patriots and Espoir set to rub shoulders at Lycee de Kigali gymnasium. Dan Gatsinzi

Wednesday

IPRC-Kigali Vs APR 7pm

Espoir Vs Patriots 9pm

The Rwanda Basketball League resumes Wednesday with former champions Patriots and Espoir set to rub shoulders at Lycee de Kigali gymnasium.

The league returns just days after the 2023 Basketball Africa League Playoffs and Finals concluded in Kigali over the weekend.

The match of the day pits Espoir, who sit second with 31 points from 17 games, against Patriots, who are seventh with 24 points from 13 games. Patriots have played less games as some of their players were playing for REG in the BAL.

"We need to play our best basketball and enjoy ourselves on court. The players are in good form and we need not to underestimate the opponent, Patriots is a tough side to play against, so we need to be careful,” Espoir coach Janvier Kamanzi told Times Sport.

Patriots beat Espoir 83-61 in the first round of the league, a result which Kamanzi is confident could go the other way round, this time in favor of Espoir.

"For us every game is a must-win, that is the target we set ourselves at the start of each season, so we will go into the game looking to win,"

IPRC-Kigali will take on APR in another league game, same venue, at 7pm

American Mazen Trakh will be coaching his first league game since he was appointed APR new head coach, replacing Kenyan Coach Cliff Owuor who will now be working as his assistant.

ALSO READ: Basketball: Former Detroit Pistons assistant appointed APR head coach

In the first round, APR beat the Kicukiro-based side 106-59.