Rwanda international Bella Murekatete made history for Washington State University Women’s basketball team after she became the 22nd player to score 1000 career points in the team’s history. The 22-year-old is a college basketball player for the Washington State Cougars and a player for the Rwandan senior national team. With her latest milestone, she is believed to be the first Rwandan-born player in NCAA Division I women's basketball history. Murekatete was named the 2022 Pac-12 Conference co-Most Improved Player of the Year after averaging 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. She grew up playing football and volleyball in her native Rwanda before discovering that she was destined to play basketball. She moved to Post Falls, Idaho on an F-1 visa at the age of 14 to play the sport at Genesis Prep Academy. The basketball starlet was a three-time first-team all-state selection. She also played with North Idaho Elite on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit. In November 2018, she signed a letter of intent to play at Washington State. Murekatete represented Rwanda at the 2015 FIBA Africa Under-16 Championship for Women, where she averaged 14.3 points and a tournament-best 22 rebounds per game and earned all-tournament honors. She notably recorded 24 points and 37 rebounds in a loss to Tunisia. She represented Rwanda at the 2018 FIBA U18 Women's African Championship, where she averaged 16.8 points, 13.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game and earned all-tournament honors after leading her team to a fourth-place finish. Her debut in the national team was shaped by a stellar performance at the 2015 FIBA Africa Under-16 Championship in Antananarivo, Madagascar, where she was named on the All-Star Team and voted the best rebounder of the tournament.
