Nshobozwabyosenumukiza on his record-breaking exploits in Afrobasket, future plans

Basketball fans were stunned when Rwandan point-guard, Jean Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza recently broke the world record for the highest number of steals in a single match. Despite an average display put up by the national team during the Afrobasket qualifiers window 2 that took place in February in Monastir, Tunisia, the Rwanda Energy Group (REG) player was one of the stand out players in the tournament as he registered 14 steals against South Sudan, a feat that incredibly beat a 44-year-old record of 11 steals set by NBA player Larry Kenon in 1976 and later equaled by Kendall Gill in 1999. The 22-year-old is one of the best point guards in the country and a great defensive asset for his club and the national team. Many fans might have been surprised by his record-beating exploits, however, the player says he has played better than that before in the local league. In fact, he says there are local matches in which he has registered up to 10 steals, despite the fact that such statistics are not given great audience locally. Speaking to Times Sport about his world-record, Nshobozwabyosenumukiza expressed delight in the achievement and is keen to do more. “I finished the match against South Sudan not knowing that I had registered 14 steals, but after, when I looked at the statistics, I saw that I had made the highest number of steals. Later I got to know that it was a world record, I was so happy,” he said. “Coaches, players and administrators were so happy about how I performed in the Afrobasket tournament, and it encouraged me to do more in the future,” he added. Normally a workaholic player who both defends and attacks well in Rwanda’s local league, Nshobozwabyosenumukiza says he had a special hunger during the Afrobasket qualifiers and this helped him to achieve what he did at the tournament. “I had a special hunger in this tournament because it was an international competition. It required me to work hard, together with my colleagues and this is what assisted me to perform,” he said. Nshobozwabyosenumukiza is one of the players that have steadily risen from the junior national teams to the senior team. At first, the prodigy gained popularity due to his long surname Nshobozwabyosenumukiza that literally means “I am enabled by God in everything,” but as time goes on, his skills and talent are also turning out to peak for him. He has played at the U-18 junior national teams, the senior national team, and local clubs Espoir and REG, and now he reckons his time to go out of Rwanda and taste the professional waters is approaching. He says some teams outside of Rwanda have showcased interest in his services, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been challenges in issues related to transfers. For him, the goal is to continue working hard and represent the country well especially in the Afrobasket final tournament. “The goal I have is to continue performing well and to represent my country well.In Afrobasket qualifiers we managed to faceoff with a strong team like Nigeria, and this gave us confidence to go and prepare well for the final tournament so that we can put a smile on the faces of our fans, especially that we will be playing at home,” he said.

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Nshobozwabyosenumukiza on his record-breaking exploits in Afrobasket, future plans