After APR’s withdrawal from the sixth edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), RSSB Tigers are now the talk of Rwandan fans after replacing the Rwandan champions to raise the country's flag at the competition. The RSSB-sponsored side, established in 2019, has been on a steady rise and now seems ready to grab the opportunity to shine on continental level. At BAL 2026, they will begin their campaign in the Kalahari Conference, scheduled to take place at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, from March 27 to April 5. In this article, Times Sport brings you what you should know about the Tigers. Founded by former player Francis Shyaka The club was founded by entrepreneur and former basketball player Francis Shyaka, before it later changed ownership to Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) starting with the 2026 season. Shyaka, 34, is an entrepreneur with interests in agriculture (poultry farming), transportation (car hire services), and real estate. He is also a former player who featured for teams like APR and 30 Plus. Though they haven't won the league yet, the club has made significant strides, securing playoff berths on multiple occasions. Head coach: Henry Mwinuka In December 2024, the team signed Henry Mwinuka, a five-time winning Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) coach, as their new head coach. In the BAL, Mwinuka will be assisted by American tactician James Maye Jr. and national team legend Kenny Gasana. The Tanzanian seasoned tactician, whose coaching career in the domestic league spans nine years, has previously been at the summit of local powerhouse clubs including Patriots and REG. Prior to joining Tigers, he featured for Patriots BBC, despite the two failing to agree on terms of contract extension. In ten years, Mwinuka cemented his coaching career, helping the two teams to five championship titles, with Patriots bagging three and two for REG. Mwinuka has previously been the assistant coach for the Rwanda national team in 2020 and later handled it on an interim basis for the AfroBasket qualifiers replacing Serbian tactician Vladimir Bosnjak who resigned the same year (2020). Before coming to Rwanda, in 2015, Mwinuka served as assistant coach of the Tanzania national team as well as head coach with Tanzanian side Savio BBC, and Kampala International University (KIU) basketball team. Holders of Rwanda Cup The Tigers won their first trophy when they won the Rwanda Basketball Cup in 2025. In the beginning of the 2026 season, they also won the Super Cup. Since its establishment, the Tigers have played in several courts provided by the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL), however, the team has plans to construct an own arena in the future. Star player: Axel Mpoyo Ahead of the BAL 2026, the team has signed key new players, one of which is Axel Mpoyo, who joined from APR. More new players joined the club for the competition. They include Congolese player Viny Okouo, Ntore Habimana, Dieudonné Ndizeye, Teafale Marquise Lenard Jr, Mangok Mathiang, Leonard Craig Randall and Cadeau de Dieu Furaha. Tigers also retained local players Steven Hagumintwari, Antino Jackson and Paul Bizimana to its roster for BAL 2026.
