The national U18 girls basketball team head coach Charles Mushumba is optimistic that his team can replicate their feat at the just-concluded 2018 FIBA Africa U18 Zone V championships, to shine at the forthcoming FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship for Women. The youth team booked a historic first qualification to the biennial FIBA U18 Womens African Championship set to be held from July 29 – August 5 in Maputo, Mozambique after winning the zonal title in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania last week. Mushumbas side recorded an unbeaten run amassing four wins in a two-legged affair over reigning champions Uganda and hosts Tanzania. Rwanda opened their search for the title with a convincing 46-35 win over Uganda before seeing off hosts Tanzania 69-36 to take a 2-0 lead in the first leg of the round-robin tournament. In the second leg, Rwanda made light work of Tanzania 65-28 before completing a double over Uganda 42-34 to emerge East African champions with a ticket to continental tournament. “The African Championships are different and a much tougher tournament because it brings together the best teams from different FIBA Africa Zones. Nonetheless, I must say that we have a good team that has been together for three years now and a good debut performance is very much possible,” said Mushumba in an interview with Times Sport on Sunday. This will be the first time that an U18 girls’ team will be featuring in the continental showpiece. However, the very team in 2016 under the tutelage of former Coach Jacques Bahige participated in the Zone V championship in Mombasa, Kenya, only to finish second behind Egypt. In order to prepare well for the international competitions, the team is currently participating in the women national league and according Mushumba, they will continue training and playing the league games ahead of the Maputo African Championship. “We actually have not more than a month to get ready for the African championships, they (players) will not rest, we are rather going to keep training as well as playing the league games so that we stay in shape and competition mood,” he added. Among the players that participated in this year’s Under-18 Zone V tournament, US-based Bella Murekatete is the only player to have played the African championships. She was part of the team that competed at the 2015 U16 edition in Madagascar and was voted as the best rebounder and member of the five-player All Star Team of the tournament. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
