Rwanda Energy Group (REG) basketball Club has added US-based Rwandan power forward Axel Mpoyo to their roster for the 2023 Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs that will take place at BK Arena from May 20-27. Times Sport understands that Mpoyo is expected to arrive in the country next week where he will immediately join the rest of the roster for intensive training. Mpoyo was not part of the team that finished third in the Sahara Conference regular season held in Dakar, Senegal but the team believes that he would be an important addition as the team looks to impress in the playoffs and finals in Kigali. The 26-year-old will be playing the BAL playoffs for the second time, having featured in the REG roster that lost to FAP in the quarter-finals during the 2022 season. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to a Rwandan mother and a Congolese father, Mpoyo left the country at a young age along with his family to live in the United States where he started playing basketball. As his game took shape, he played for various teams in the USA including Meridian High School (Idaho State), the North Eastern Junior College as well as Grambling State University in Louisiana before signing for Apoel, a Cyprus-based club. He has also featured for REG both in the domestic league and the BAL. ALSO READ: BAL changes dates for playoffs and finals tipoff The BAL playoffs and finals, which were initially scheduled to tip off on Sunday, May 21 and run through Saturday, May 27, will now tip off on Saturday, May 20. The schedule changes were, according to BAL, made so that all four quarterfinal games can be played over the weekend. ALSO READ: Why REG could be the team to beat at BAL playoffs REG is one of the clubs that already qualified for the playoffs after coming out in third position in the Sahara Conference that took place in Dakar, Senegal in March.
