Rwanda Women’s Basketball League champions, Rwanda Energy Group (REG) Women’s Basketball Club, have strengthened their roster with the signing of American guard Kayana Traylor ahead of the 2025 FIBA Africa Zone 5 Club Championship. The regional tournament is scheduled to take place in Kenya from November 9 to 15. REG is currently holding daily training sessions at St. Famille Court in Kigali as part of their preparations for the competition. The 26-year-old Traylor is an American professional basketball player and a free agent. She was drafted by the Chicago Sky in the 2023 WNBA Draft and previously played college basketball at Purdue University and Virginia Tech. Last month, REG also bolstered its lineup with two new signings: Rwandan international small forward Chantal Kiyobe and Congolese power forward Grace Malu Irebu, both formerly with Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). Kiyobe, 25, is a key member of the women’s national team and has played club basketball both locally and in Kenya. Irebu, 27, was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2024 Kenyan Women’s League after leading KPA to the championship title. She also brings international experience, having played professionally in the Philippines and China among other countries. Meanwhile, REG has appointed Senegalese coach Malick Goudiaby as the team’s new head coach ahead of the Zone 5 tournament. Goudiaby, who previously coached Dakar University Club Women and ASC Ville de Dakar in Senegal, has already arrived in Rwanda and taken charge of the team’s training sessions. REG is expected to depart for Nairobi on November 7 to take part in the regional championship. At the competition, which also acts as the qualifier tournament for the Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA), which brings together 12 of the continent’s best women’s basketball clubs.
