American hip-hop star J. Cole’s performance in his first match for Patriots in the Basketball Africa league competition on Sunday drew mixed reactions from basketball fans. The musician was a surprise inclusion on the teams roster since he has never played professional basketball. Patriots defeated Hoopers 83-60 at the Kigali Arena in Rwanda after an initial spell of dominance by the Nigerians. J. Cole scored three points, with two assists and three rebounds during the opener of the inaugural edition of NBA-backed Basketball Africa League (BAL) and although a small section of basketball fans said he didn’t contribute much, many others sympathized with him, saying his age and lack of experience in such tournaments didn’t help him much. The rapper is 36 years old. Maxime Mwiseneza, the assistant coach at Rwanda Energy Group (REG), a local basketball club said the rapper played well, as his impact on the game was not only offensive but also defensive, since he offered assistance in defence. “J. Cole seemed skilled on the court. His passing abilities were good, and his defending was fine because he defended against some tough guys like Uzoh and Sullivan, said Mwiseneza. The 36-year-old played basketball in high school and university but never became a professional basketballer. In the game against Rivers Hoopers, Cole also scored in the final minutes of the first quarter when he grabbed an offensive rebound in transition and made a put back layup. Usher Komugisha, who is one of the commentators of the Basketball Africa League on ESPN, agreed that J Cole had a good game adding that he was comfortable playing with his teammates despite having trained with them for a short while. He was enjoying his new surroundings as a professional player. He has always said this is what he wanted to do, so it is fulfilling for him to experience the BAL in its inaugural edition, she said. Edmund Kagire, a social media influencer, called on basketball fans not to “mock” J. Cole’s performance since it was his first time to play at such a high level. “Dont be ‘dragging’ the guy. Having him on the court, playing for a Rwandan side alone should be satisfying.” Michelle Katami, a journalist at BBC Sport Africa said that “For someone who was making his professional basketball debut, I think he did well in his first game. He played for 17 minutes, not bad at all. For me, it is more about the will for him to do what he loves and at the moment, J Cole just wants to play basketball. And we can see that, he went all out to join a team in Africa and be part of the Basketball Africa League,” Patriots are scheduled to face GNBC (Gendarmerie Nationale Basketball Club) at 2pm on Wednesday before facing US Monastir, a Tunisian team, on Saturday afternoon at 3pm.
