Rwanda Energy Group (REG) basketball club head coach Dean Murray has rallied home fans to come out in numbers and support the team ahead of Saturday’s BAL playoff against Egyptian giants Al Ahly at BK Arena. Murray is aware of the threat that Al Ahly may pose to his team but he insists his men can overcome the Egyptians and advance to the semifinals and then to the finals until they lift the trophy and become the first Rwandan club to ever win the prestigious championship since its inception in 2021. He reflected on the importance of the home crowd in REG's push for a victory on Saturday, noting that the supporters should be behind the team and cheer it from the beginning to the end. We just need everybody to be out, in full force and be loud on Saturday night and push us because we need the fans to help us, Murray told Times Sport in an interview. The American has been preparing his team with only local players just a few days after they returned from the Sahara Conference before international players reported back to the roster last week. Now that they are back together, the group gives the tactician a feeling of confidence that REG can go on to win the championship. We didn't really change much offensively or defensively. Everybody has been up to speed pretty quick and it's been really nice that we could have played these three games leading into it so we could play some games, but we feel good, he said. ALSO READ: BAL 2023: REG to face Al Ahly in playoffs Murray owes respect to Al Ahly as a top team but he insisted that REG will go into the game wanting nothing but winning. Obviously we're going to the game to win it. I mean, you know, we're confident in that regard, he said. We know it's going to be a tough game. Al Ahly is a good team. I think they have been actually playing the domestic league finals right now in Egypt. So they're coming fresh from a good challenge, he added. ALSO READ: BAL playoffs: All teams to arrive on Tuesday Meanwhile, all the eight teams are supposed to have arrived in Kigali by Tuesday for the play offs.
