Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA) and national team head coach Cheikh Sarr have agreed to part ways by mutual consent after four years. Sarr has been in charge of both the men’s and women’s national teams since April 2021 before signing a two-year contract extension eight months later. His current contract was due to expire in March 2027 before both parties mutually agreed to part ways. During his tenure, Rwanda scooped a bronze medal at FIBA AfroCAN in 2023, the same year when the women’s national team finished fourth at the Women’s Afrobasket after losing 89-51 to Mali in the third-place playoff. Sarr was also in charge when Rwanda hosted the first-ever Africa-bound FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Pre-Qualifiers. His team lost their final Group D game to Great Britain and later suffered a narrow 68-65 defeat to Senegal in the semifinals, ending the competition with a 2-2 record. The Senegalese tactician's performance has been acknowledged by both players and his employers but Rwanda’s recent results at the 2025 FIBA Afrobasket tournaments, both men and women, raised questions about his future. The women’s team bowed out of the tournament held in Cote d’Ivoire without a single win while the men’s team also had a disappointing performance in Angola as they bowed out without a single win. ALSO READ: Basketball: Cheikh Sarr signs contract extension with national team Sarr had replaced Serbian coach Vladimir Bosnjak, who resigned in December 2020. He leaves with a solid résumé, having previously led Senegal’s men’s national team to the second round of the 2014 FIBA World Cup, a historic first for the country. Beyond coaching, he holds a Ph.D. in sports psychology and has taught and researched sports and physical activity at Gaston Berger University in Senegal. He also earned a master’s degree in sports management from the Alfred Lerner College of Business, University of Delaware in the United States.
