Patriots Basketball Club will begin preparations next week ahead of the upcoming Bank of Kigali Basketball National League season. Times Sport understands the Basketball federation will announce this week when the season will start. For a third consecutive season, Patriots retained the domestic league title last October after outplaying Rwanda Energy Group (REG) in the final at Kigali Arena. It was also the club’s fourth championship in five years. Speaking to Times Sport on Sunday, club president Brian Kirungi says players are on holidays but will be back with all their coaches to start the preparations for the new season this week. “We are still waiting for the federation’s guidelines on Covid-19 prevention so as to plan accordingly,” Kirungi said. On Thursday last week, the club extended contracts of four senior players ahead of the 2020/21 season. The quartet who renewed their contracts are; Dieudonné Ndizeye – the league MVP of the 2018/19 season, centre Bush Wamukota, forward Steven Hagumintwari and point guard Guibert Nijimbere. They each signed a two-year deal, while Hitayezu, who crossed from local side IPRC Kigali, was offered three years – until the end of the 2022/23 season. American Dean Murray will continue to be in charge of Patriots through BK basketball national league and other competitions, assisted by Kenya-born tactician guide Bernard ‘Ben’ Oluoch and Burundian Olivier Ndayiragije.
