APR women basketball team have turned attention to this year’s FIBA Africa Zone V Club Championships – due next month in Tanzania – after the 2018-19 national league title last week. The 2019 edition of the regional tournament is scheduled for October 21-26 at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Charles Mbazumutima’s APR clinched the league title on Friday after beating the Hoops Rwanda 4-2 in the best-of-seven playoffs finals, which secured the club the right to represent the country at the Dar es Salaam Zone V Championships. “We want to perform better than we have ever done before,” said Mbazumutima. A total of ten teams from seven countries – Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda – have confirmed their participation at the week-long competition. “The competition is going to be stiff, obviously. But we are going to prepare in the best way we can, and we are ready for the challenge.” In the meantime, recently crowned champions of the BK Basketball National League, Patriots, will represent he country in qualifiers of the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL). The qualifiers tournament also starts next month. Teams for Zone V tourney JKT Starts and Don Basco Lioness (Tanzania), Equity and KPA (Kenya), APR (Rwanda), Mogadishu City (Somalia), Ethowater and Wokite City (Ethiopia), JKL (Uganda) and Burundi’s Les Gazelles. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
