The Basketball Africa League (BAL) Sahara conference is finally here! As the Conference action tips off in Dakar, Senegal, from May 4-12, many Rwandan basketball enthusiasts are looking forward to cheering for APR on their maiden appearance at the continental basketball showpiece.The military side’s BAL journey gets underway on Saturday, May 4, at 4:30PM when they take on Tunisia's US Monastir at Dakar Arena.ALSO READ: We are prepared like an NBA team - APR’s Mazen TrakhAs the action commences, Times Sport delves into the player profiles of APR's roster and brings you a short brief on what you may need to know on each player.Jean Jacques Wilson NshobozwabyosenumukizaPosition: Point guardBorn: June 26, 1998Place of birth: Nyarugenge DistrictThe Rwandan point-guard holds the world record for the highest number of steals in a single match after he registered 14 steals against South Sudan during the Afrobasket qualifiers that took place in Monastir, Tunisia, in 2021.Nshobozwa, 26, is one of the best point guards in the country and a great defensive asset for club and country.He boasts both experience on the national team as well as top local clubs including Rwanda Energy Group, Patriots and now APR.Nshobozwa is making his fourth straight appearance at BAL.Ntore HabimanaPosition: Point-guardBorn: August 15, 1997Place of birth: CanadaThe Canada-born point guard’s rise to the big basketball stage is only getting better as he continues to establish himself as a key figure in Mazen Trakh’s roster ahead of BAL just like Cheikh Sarr relies on his services at national team level.ALSO READ: APR off to Dakar for Sahara Conference regular seasonNtore boasts speed, good passing as well as the boldness to go through the opponent’s defence to score or assist. This is not his first time at the BAL, having previously featured at the same showpiece with REG.Axel Mpoyo Position: Power forwardBorn: January 5, 1997Place of birth: DR CongoAxel Mpoyo, born to Rwandan mother and Congolese father, has now spent at least three seasons playing in the Rwandan league. During the period, he has once been named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and was on the all-star team.Mpoyo, 27, knows what playing BAL is like, having represented REG in the previous two editions.He spent five months on the sidelines through a knee injury that he picked up in December 2023, but Trakh decided to select him in his final roster after doctors deemed him as fully fit enough to play the Sahara Conference.William RobeynsPosition: Power forwardBorn: February 23, 1996Place of birth: BelgiumThe Belgian-Rwandan forward is a professional basketball player who has featured for clubs like Phoenix Brussels and Liege in Belgium.Robeyns, 28, possesses qualities to shoot and creates assists. He is the current captain of APR.Obadiah NoelPosition: Point guardBorn: June, 28,1999Place of birth: USAAPR signed Noel on April 19, as a possible replacement for Michael Dixon who left the military side for Egypt's Al Ittihad Alexandria.The American made his debut for the club in the Genocide Memorial Tournament made a quick impact, scoring 26 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists against REG in the tournament semi-final before helping the team lift the trophy after beating Patriots in the final.During the very short time that he has been at the club, Noel proved his worth and Trakh hopes the guard can play an instrumental role in the team’s quest for a ticket to the playoffs in Kigali.Abdullah AhmedPosition: CenterBorn: November: 3, 2003Place of birth: EgyptAbdullah Ahmed is an Egyptian center who plays for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G-League.The 21-year-old stands at 2.10m. He is expected to bolster APR’s prowess in the paint, offensively and defensively.Adonis FilerPosition: Point guardBorn: July, 11, 1993Place of birth: United StatesFiler is one of the best guards, if not the best, currently in the Rwandan league. He has played for all the big three clubs in Rwanda – REG, Patriots and APR.ALSO READ: Filer roots for “winning attitude” as APR eye bright BAL debutThis will be his fourth BAL tournament having played in the previous three editions.He brings experience to the team, good leadership as well as on court skills like good shooting and passing.Dario HuntPosition: CenterBorn: May 2, 1989Place of birth: United StatesThe 34-year-old is an experienced player who has played for various teams in the United States, Australia and Europe with stints in Ukraine, Austria, Italy, France, and Belgium. He has also played in the NBA Development League.After going undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft, Hunt signed his first professional contract in July 2012 with Ukrainian team BC Odesa.During his short spell at the club, running from September 28 through December 23, he played 21 games averaging 6.1 points and 4.5 rebounds. He left the club in February 2013 and joined Austrian team UBC Güssing Knights where, in 13 games, he averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.Dan KimasaPosition: Power ForwardBorn: October 2,1994Place of birth: RwandaDespite not getting enough minutes on the floor, Kimasa has been a key member of the APR team that won the championship in 2023, their first in 14 years.Trakh was impressed by his progress and decided to keep him in his final roster for the Sahara Conference.Bush WamukotaPosition: CenterBorn: September 28,1993Place of birth: KenyaIn 2019, Wamukota played in Tunisia for US Monastir and later JS Kairouan.In September 2020, Wamukota joined Rwandan side Patriots BBC where he won the national championship with the team later that year, before extending his contract until 2023 in January.In December 2021, the Kenyan joined South Sudanese club Cobra Sport to strengthen the team for the second round of the 2022 BAL qualification. He was on Cobra Sport's roster for the primary BAL tournament, however, he was unable to play due to injury.In 2022, Wamukota rejoined Patriots BBC and was named in the 2022 All-Star Team.After that season with Patriots, he signed for APR in December 2022.Chris RutaPosition: ForwardBorn: November 11/ 2002Place of birth: RwandaAt 22 years of age, Ruta plays college basketball at Cape Breton Capers, the team that represents Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia, Canada.Larson Shema NiyibiziPosition: Point guardBorn: October 14, 2006Place of birth: RwandaHe is the youngest player in the APR roster for BAL. Niyibizi currently plays for the APR Basketball Academy.Mohamed CamaraPosition: ForwardBorn: January 4, 2005Place of birth: SenegalThe 19-year-old NBA Academy Africa prospect is expected to use the Sahara Conference to prove their worth. Just like every BAL participant, APR were offered Camara as part of the BAL Elevate Program.
