KIGALI City Council basketball team expects an uphill challenge in the upcoming annual inter-cities basketball tournament scheduled to be held in the Ugandan capital from April 24-28.After nine years of absence from the regional competition, Kigali city basketball team which is managed by APR’s Kenyan coach Cliff Owuor has had a week’s training session and are set to undergo a 10-hour bus ride to Kampala on Sunday ahead of the event.Unlike the hosts, Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) who have had ample time to prepare and even participate in the pompous Friday night lights tournament that ran for eight weeks, Kigali city council players have not featured in any serious competition for the last two months.However, head coach Owuor is well aware of the state of affairs in his camp including the not-so convincing fitness levels but he insists that basketball is a physical and mind game and whoever combines the two dominates the day.“It will be a tough tournament and we will give our best shot but as usual we have to do the basics of the game, just the simple things in a game,” said Owuor.Owuor is expected to lead Kigali city council to regional pride without services of sensational Congolese-born duo of Mike Buzangu and Presta Malemba who are attending to family commitments in Kinshasa and has since turned his attention on the current team that offers him so many options in the back court positions.Key figures that may give regional opponents a run for the money include Aristide Mugabe, Jean Louis Habineza, Lionel Hakizimana and Blaze Nikobahoze.This year’s tournament has attracted teams from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and hosts Uganda. The competition will feature both men and women’s teams. Defending champions and last year’s hosts Nairobi (men and women) teams will seek to retain the titles. Nairobi has won the last 10 editions of the event.
