A fortnight ago, Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA) unveiled a new technical bench which will lead the men’s national basketball team at the 2027 FIBA World Cup African qualifiers which will take place in Tunisia from November 27–30. ALSO READ: FIBA World Cup qualifiers: Rwanda drawn in same group as Nigeria, Tunisia The four-day qualifying tournament will feature eight teams from Groups A and C competing for six slots in the decisive third round of the African qualifiers. According to FIBA Africa, Tunisia will host the first qualification window for these two groups. ALSO READ: Murenzi to coach Rwanda at FIBA World Cup qualifiers Rwanda was pooled in Group C alongside Nigeria, Guinea, and Tunisia, while Group A features Cameroon, South Sudan, Libya, and Cape Verde. Rwanda secured its place in the qualifiers after finishing among the top 16 teams at AfroBasket 2025, held in Angola from August 12–24. The national team has been without a head coach since Senegalese coach Cheikh Sarr mutually left the role in September. With the tactician yet to be replaced, FERWABA has tasked new coaching staff lead by Yves Murenzi to lead the team at the World Cup qualifiers. Here’s what you need to know about the new technical team. Yves Murenzi – Head coach Murenzi previously served as head coach of United Generation Basketball (UGB) from 2013 to 2025. He also coached Rwanda’s U16 and U18 national teams since 2017. Since 2021, he has been part of the senior national team’s technical staff as assistant coach and notably guided the team to a bronze medal at the 2023 AfroCan tournament. Sunny Niyomugabo – First assistant coach Niyomugabo, 35, currently serves as head coach of Patriots which he played for before transitioning to coaching in 2023 where he served as assistant coach to former club head coach Henry Mwinuka. He is now regarded as one of the most promising coaches on Rwanda’s basketball scene courtesy of his outstanding coaching skills during his maiden season as head coach of Patriots. During his playing days, Niyomugabo featured for several local clubs including Marine BC, Kigali Basketball Club (KBC), APR, IPRC-Huye, and Patriots. He was instrumental in helping KBC win the 2010/11 league title, which led to a move to APR in the 2011/12 season under coach Cliff Owuor. He later joined the Patriots in the 2014/15 season and went on to represent Rwanda at multiple FIBA tournaments, earning his first national cap in 2011 at the FIBA Africa U18 Championship, and later joining the senior team in 2014 for the FIBA Zone V tournament in Kampala, Uganda. Kenny Gasana – Second assistant coach Gasana, 40, joins the coaching staff as second assistant coach while continuing his playing career at club level. He first represented Rwanda in 2009 at the FIBA AfroBasket Championship in Libya, where he became the team’s top scorer, averaging 18.3 points per game and helping Rwanda to a 9th-place finish — their best-ever performance at the time. He later played professionally in Morocco, featuring for Hoceima and Plaza Sports Basketball Club before returning to play for Patriots with whom they reached the semifinals of the first season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). ALSO READ: Gasana embraces player-coach duties On international stage, Gasana has been a key figure in Rwandan basketball for over a decade, captaining the national team during the FIBA World Cup 2023 qualifiers and leading the squad at the 2023 AfroBasket in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where Rwanda finished 10th out of 16. Born on November 9, 1984, in Texas, USA, Gasana remains one of the most respected figures in the country’s basketball history. Aristide Mugabe – Third assistant coach Mugabe is currently a player-coach with Kepler Basketball Club. He was tasked to serve as the third assistant coach on the national team’s new technical bench. ALSO READ: Mugabe reflects on his basketball career during national team service Mugabe made his international debut in 2011 during the AfroBasket qualifiers and went on to become a cornerstone of the national team. He captained Rwanda from 2013 to 2019, featuring in three AfroBasket tournaments — 2011, 2013, and 2017. He last played for the national team in March 2022 during the first window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers held in Dakar, Senegal.
