HENRY Mwinuka, the head coach of Rwanda Energy Group (REG) basketball club, has termed his side’s qualification for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2022 as a historic feat. REG secured their BAL ticket on Saturday, October 30, after sweeping Patriots in the best-of-three playoff finals of the 2020/21 Basketball National League at Kigali Arena. The red-and-black out took Game 1 in a tightly contested 66-63 win on Friday, before finishing the job in style with a 64-49 Game 2 win on Saturday. For the upcoming BAL season, winners of the Rwandan topflight league have an automatic ticket, since the country will be hosting the advanced stages of the NBA-affiliate competition. Speaking about his team’s achievement, Mwinuka said: “We have got the ticket to play the BAL. BAL is like NBA Africa, that is a big opportunity for all young African players who participate,” he said. He added that the feat is “history” for him and his club. Mwinuka previously qualified Patriots to the inaugural BAL season in 2019 before he was lured by archrivals REG at the end of his contract. The Tanzania-born tactician also doubles as the first assistant coach of the national team.
