At least six international basketball players who feature in Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) have been summoned for national duty for their respective countries ahead of the upcoming Afrobasket 2025 scheduled for August 12-24 in Angola. Holders Tunisia will be looking to defend the title they won in 2021 when they beat Côte d'Ivoire 78-75 in the final. Among players plying their trade in Rwanda summoned by their respective teams is APR’s Aliou Diarra who will feature for Mali, while Rwanda Energy Group (REG) star Jean Jacques Boissy was also named on the Senegalese national team roster. ALSO READ: Angola to host 2025 FIBA Afrobasket Boissy was named Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2025 Most Valuable Player (MVP) after helping Libyan side Al Ahli Tripoli win the championship in Pretoria, South Africa. Diarra emerged best defensive player at the same tournament after powering APR to a third-place finish, the best performance by a Rwandan club so far at the tournament. Mali and Senegal are in Group D alongside Egypt and Uganda at AfroBasket 2025. Big man Diarra has established himself as a star in club competition domestically and on the continent. Mali has also been benefiting from his exploits where posted 13.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game during the Afrobasket 2025 qualifiers. ALSO READ: Rwanda to face Senegal, Cameroon in Afrobasket qualifiers Center Youssou Ndoye, also from APR, was also named on Senegal roster. He joined APR at BAL 2025 and played a crucial role as they finished in the third place in the BAL 2025 season where he was named to the BAL All-Defensive Second Team. Ndoye also averaged 9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, helping APR retain the Rwanda Basketball League championship. Other RBL players summoned for AfroBasket 2025 include Pichou Manga, a Congolese player who features for Tigers Basketball Club. Congo is pooled in Group A with 2021 AfroBasket runners-up Côte d'Ivoire, Cape Verde who finished fourth in the previous edition, and Rwanda. In addition, REG star Garmine Kande Kieli and Espoir’s Franck Nyembo Fataki also joined Pitchou Manga to the DRC squad.
