Rwanda captain Kenny Gasana is nursing a foot injury and will not be fit in time to feature for his country at the upcoming FIBA AfroCAN finals due in Luanda, Angola, from July 8-16, Times Sport has learned. Rwanda qualified for the finals of AfroCAN after winning the Zone 5 qualifiers that took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania last month. The team is expected to depart for Angola on Thursday, July 6, and Gasana told Times Sport that he will travel with the team just to support his teammates, provided that the star shooting guard has not recovered the foot injury that he suffered during the Zone 5 qualifiers. “I suffered a foot injury in the final game against Burundi. It was not too serious but it would take a couple weeks of recovery. Since AfroCan is a very short time away, I needed to rest it,” Gasana said in an interview. “I’m still Captain... I will be doing my best to encourage and also help in coaching,” he added. Gasana’s absence in the finals came as a huge blow for Cheik Sarr’s team which is looking to impress in Angola. Reacting to the concerns of leaving a void in the roster, the shooting guard argued that he was not deterred from supporting his team even while at the bench. “Normally, I would try to rush back from injury to play, but I’m confident this team is in good form. Maybe my experience will be missed but I’m always here offering my knowledge to the players,” he said. “I would hate not to be 100 percent to give my all, and take the opportunity away from anyone who is fully capable.” ALSO READ:Basketball: Rwanda qualifies for Afro-CAN 2023 During the FIBA Africa Zone 5 Qualifier that took place in June in Dar es Salaam, Rwanda overcame South Sudan (72-55), Eritrea (114-34) and Tanzania (77-57) but they lost to Burundi (53-52) in the Group Phase. Sarr’s men bounce back to beat Burundians 70-48 in the final to finish with a 4-1 record and secure a ticket to the 12-nation FIBA AfroCan in the Angolan capital Luanda.
