Twenty-year old Sifa Ineza is one of standout players spearheading Rwanda’s quest for the 2023 Women’s Afrobasket championship in Kigali.
Currently playing college basketball in the United States, Ineza is one of foreign-based players that coach Cheikh Sarr summoned to join his national team group battling for the coveted trophy. And so far, she has really done a great job on the floor, with her entertaining basketball output adding some flavor to Rwanda’s growing aggressive play.
One of her key performances came only a day ago as the hosts fought hard to beat resilient Uganda in the quarterfinals. She rose to the occasion with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists to become Rwanda’s flag-bearer at this stage.
ALSO READ: PHOTOS: Women&039;s AfroBasket: Rwanda ousts Uganda, advances to semis
Rwanda is now in the semi-finals and Ineza has been so amazing to watch fighting for the country’s pride on one hand and leading entertaining celebrations before cheering home supporters.
Mark her name and her already famous number 8, then believe in what she brings back to court on Thursday 6PM when she and her teammates take on African giants Nigeria.
Can she help the hosts cause a major blow on the Afrobasket favorites? Ineza might have the key.
ALSO READ: Sifa Ineza: The meteoric rise of the Rwandan female basketball wonderkid
Who is Ineza?
Born and raised in Musanze, Northern Province, Ineza is enjoying a rapid rise in her basketball career.
She first represented Rwanda in 2018 when she was called up for U-18 national team duty and her incredible skills on the ball saw her eventually named in the senior national team later on.
The US-based Rwandan basketball prodigy was exposed to sports at a tender age as she grew up watching her siblings playing soccer.
ALSO READ: Hoops: Rwanda’s Ineza joins Lady Raiders
As a teenager, Ineza joined Lycée de Kigali and played for their school team, before joining The Hoops in the national Women’s Basketball League.
She played for the club until she was in 2019 offered a sports scholarship to Green Forest Christian Academy, a school located in the state of Georgia, the United States.
She had been studying while also playing for the college as either a shooting guard and point guard positions.
In her senior season of high school, she averaged 15.6 points per game while shooting 53 percent from the field and averaging 1.3 steals per game on the defensive end.
ALSO READ: Rwanda’s Ineza shines for FIU in Conference USA
In 2021, Ineza joined Florida International University (FIU) on a 4-year scholarship, and she is playing there until now.
She clearly is one of the girls that love to play for the country. In an earlier interview, she told Times Sport about how she has loved the experience of playing for Rwanda.
"The experience in the national team has been amazing so far. I get to learn from the veterans who have played this game for quite some time and I simply enjoy the moment I spend with the team. I think everyone on the national team is cool!” she recalls.
For her, lifting the Rwandan flag is something she always wants to do with her teammates.
When Rwanda beat Uganda to reach the semi-finals of the Afrobasket, she was quite delighted with the feat.
"This is historical. It's amazing. It's a dream come true for us. Nobody has done it before and we did it. We will just play and do what we got to do, give it all to reach the Finals. We’re out to win it all,” she said.
She is also continuing to rise in her basketball career in the US, and some months ago she joined the Middle Tennessee Lady Raiders women's basketball club.
The club represents Middle Tennessee State University in women's basketball, to compete in the Conference USA in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).