Rwanda Energy Group (REG) Basketball Club have added forward Steven Hagumintwari , small forward Dieudonne Ndizeye, point guard Jean Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza and Ntore Habimana to their roster for the forthcoming Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2023. It's a busy trade for the Rwandan champions who are just a few days away from starting training sessions ahead of continental club basketball showpiece which tips off in Dakar, Senegal from March 11-21. The quartet join US-based Adonis Filer who rejoined the team in January and new head coach American Dean Murray who arrived in the country last week to complete his deal to coach the club at the BAL. Murray is not new to Rwandan basketball. He enjoyed a good season with Patriots where he guided the club to their third consecutive league title in October 2020. He, however, left the club in March 2021, just two months before the tournament tipoff. Wilson Nshobozwa Nshobozwa, arguably one of the best point guards in the country, returns to REG with whom they won the 2022 national basketball league title before he left the club to sign for APR in October. His former club is well aware of good defensive qualities that he boasts on the court, and hopes to rely on his speed and ferocity in the game. In the BAL, Nshobozwa averaged 1.7 steals per game, 3.7 average defensive rebounds, 14.2 points per game and 3.5 assists per game, making him one of the top performers for REG in the tournament. The 23-year-old also captured the attention of many fans when he scored an all-important last second three pointer as REG salvaged victory against a resilient Seydou Legacy Athletique (SLAC) in the Sahara Conference of the BAL in March last year. Steven Hagumintwari Forward Hagumintwari has also been in fine form this season and his game-high 20 points were integral to Patriots’ hard-fought APR 67-60 victory over APR on Saturday at the newly-upgraded Lycee de Kigali gymnasium. His current performance in the domestic league, his consistency and his ability to step up in big occasions earned him a deal to feature for REG for the first time at the BAL Dieudonne Ndizeye Ndizeye was one of the players that put up a great display this year as the Patriots finished second in the Rwanda Basketball League. For a couple of years, he was one of the top players in the country, thanks to his skills and work ethic. In 2019, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the league. He has featured in two editions of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and was a key player for Patriots, in 2021, and REG (2022). Ndizeye returns to REG’s roster for the BAL 2023 hoping that contribution will make improved impact this year after the club failed to make the best of home advantage when they collapsed to a shock quarter final elimination before thousands at the BK Arena after a surprise 63-66 defeat by Cameroon’s Forces Armées et Police (FAP). Ntore Habimana Habimana is one player that has been steadily rising in the last two to three years. He currently seems very ready to shine at the big stage. Born in Canada to Rwandan parents, the 25-year-old has played for the Rwandan national team since 2022. He is a deft guard who loves to drive forward, but always thinks about passing the ball and finding someone in the corner as his team attacks. Recently, he showed that he has come of age when he stepped up and played a major role as The Patriots beat REG in the second round of the league last season. He was the MVP of the game as he scored 18 points and put up good attacking plays that created good opportunities for his team mates.
