The 2021 African Basketball Championship (Afrobasket) finals are just a day to the kick off with Rwanda’s national team looking forward to capitalizing home advantage to conquer African giants throughout the campaign. The continental showpiece gets underway on August 24 and runs through September 5 at Kigali Arena. Hosts Rwanda begin their quest for a first Afrobasket title against neighbours DR Congo in Group A on Tuesday, August 24, before facing Angola and Cape Verde on August 26 and 28, respectively. Times Sport takes you through who is who in Cheikh Sarr’s 12-man roster. Jean Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza Position: Point-guard Born: June 26, 1998 Place of birth: Nyarugenge District The Rwandan point-guard recently broke 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 window 2 that took place in February in Monastir, Tunisia. Despite an average display put up by the national team, the Rwanda Energy Group (REG) was one of the stand out players that the national team had at its disposal during the February window. The 22-year-old is one of the best point guards in the country and a great defensive asset for club and country. Ntore Habimana Position: Point-guard Born: August 15, 1997 Place of birth: Canada The Canada-born point-guard had some flashes of brilliance during the recent Afrobasket qualifiers window 2 that took place in Monastir Tunisia, despite the fact that he had limited game time. The 23-year-old now plies his trade at local hoops side Tigers after signing a one-year contract with the club in June. Steven Hagumintwari Position: Small forward Born: October 4, 1993 Place of birth: Kigali Since he made his national team debut during the 2014 FIBA-Africa Zone V Championships that were staged in Kampala, Uganda, Hagumintwaro has been a consistent figure in the national team following his impressive displays at club level. He was instrumental for the Patriots side that reached the semi-finals of the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) finals in May in Kigali and is looking forward to using the experience to help Cheikh Sarr’s side achieve big things at the Afrobasket. Armel Sangwe Position: Shooting guard Born: April 15, 2000 Place of birth: Burundi At just 21, APR Basketball Club is already a popular figure in the local basketball circles. Sangwe can be remembered for his stunning career-high 35 points that he recorded in January, 2018 when Espoir defeated Rwanda Energy Group 100-77 in the local league. Sangwe was at the time named the best young player of the season by Rwanda Basketball Federation while he claimed the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in FEASSSA Games held in August 2017 in Gulu, Uganda. Axel Mpoyo Position: Power forward Born: January 5, 1997 Place of birth: Congo Axel Mpoyo is one of the new names that have recently headlined Rwanda’s national basketball team efforts, specifically in the second window of the Afrobasket qualifiers that unfolded in mid-February in Monastir, Tunisia. The 24-year-old can be remembered in the game against Nigeria where he posted a joint game-high of 13 points, although Rwanda went on to lose the game 51-64 to the West Africans. Dieudonné Ndayisaba Ndizeye Position: Small forward Born: October 14, 1996 Place of birth: Nyanza The 25-year-old holds the Most Valuable Player (MVP) prize which he won after inspiring Patriots to 2018-19 BK Basketball National League triumph, their second consecutive championship and third in four seasons. In 2019, he was instrumental as Patriots cruised through two qualifying rounds to secure their ticket to the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) regular season with a stunning 9:0 unbeaten run. Olivier Shyaka Position: Power forward Born: August 14, 1995 Place of birth: Muhanga Shyaka’s discipline earned him confidence to become skipper of the men’s senior national basketball team in 2019 replacing Aristide Mugabe. In 2012, Shyaka was the driving force behind the national junior team that won the FIBA Africa Zone Five U-18 Championships after beating Kenya in the final at Amahoro indoor stadium. He was named the tournament’s Most Valued Player. His star performance for the junior side led to his first call-up to the senior national team in early 2013. Elie Kaje Position: Power forward Born: March 17, 1995 Place of birth: Congo With Patriots, Kaje won the 2017 playoff games title among other titles during his two-year stint at the club before crossing to rivals Rwanda Energy Group (REG) in 2018. The latter were champions of the 2016-17 season. Since his move to REG three years ago, Kaje has been a key figure for the black-and-red outfit who are still pushing to end Patriots dominance in the local basketball league. William Robeyns Position: Power forward Born: February 23, 1996 Place of birth: Belgium He is a citizen of both Belgium and Rwanda, and is a professional basketball player who has featured for teams like Phoenix Brussels and Liege in Belgium. The 25-year-old possesses qualities to shoot and create assists. Current statistics indicate that, by May 2021, Robeyns had averaged 8.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in 20 minutes in the 2020/21 season. Emile Galois Kazeneza Position: Shooting Guard Born: August 30, 2000 Place of birth: Gasabo Kazeneza made his national team debut in August 2015 when Rwanda’s U-16 men’s national basketball team beat Equatorial Guinea in classification playoffs to finish ninth at the 4th U16 Africa Basketball Championship in Bamako, Mali. Currently he plays at William Carey University in the USA. Ibeh Prince Chinenye Position: Center Born: June 3, 1994 Place of birth: England Ibeh obtained Rwandan citizenship in February and immediately made his national debut during the February window of the Afrobasket qualifiers in Monastir, Tunisia. He played for different countries including the USA where he played for the University of Texas, before continuing to Japan, the Philippines, Germany, and in England with the Plymouth Raiders. His impressive displays in the BAL while with Patriots is all that basketball supporters are expecting from him with the national team. Kenneth Gasana Position: shooting guard Born: November 9, 1984 Place of birth: USA At 36, Cheikh Sarr still counts on the veteran who continues to prove that age is just the number. Gasana featured in four of the five times that the country has participated in the Afrobasket competition. He was among the key figures for the Patriots BBC side that reached the semi-finals of the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) that took place in Kigali in May.
