Hard work brings the best out of Mugabe

Rwanda has produced quite a number of very talented basketball players over the years but none seems to have the potential to take their game a notch higher than Aristide Mugabe, the reigning Most Valuable Player of the 2013 season.The Espoir forward, Mugabe is the second born in a family of three boys, Born to the late Theotime Habiryayo and Veneranda Mukamurehe, on 11 February 1988 in Huye District, Maraba Sector in the Southern Province (former Butare).As a child, he used to play soccer with other kids in his neighbourhood with his big brother, who was killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi along with their father.He attended Tumba and Cyarwa primary schools all in Huye Districts and for his secondary school, he went to Petit Seminaire Virgo Fidelis and College Immaculee Conception de Save.For his A-Level, Mugabe attended E.A.V Ntendezi in Nyamasheke District in the Western Province from form 4-6, and St Joseph Kabgayi were he repeated form six and also went to Laiser Hill Academy in Nairobi, Kenya for one year.The vastly talented forward joined INILAK (Independent Institute of Lay Adventist of Kigali) in 2010 where he is scheduled to finish his degree course next year. “At the moment am doing my dissertation and I hope to graduate early next year,” Mugabe said proudly in an interview with Saturday Sport.Mugabe started playing basketball in 2001 when he joined high school but it was not until 2007 that he made his debut in the top flight division league with RUSIZI BBC. “I have achieved a lot, including education and financial support from basketball, I have made a lot of friends and families,” he says with a smile. In 2007, Mugabe played for Rusizi BBC and two years later, he joined Espoir BBCIt’s not often that you find players of one club playing for rival their teams but for Mugabe, it is something he has done on two different occasions when called upon for rescue.He revealed, “I have played in the Zone VI Championships in 2009 for Marine BBC and again in 2010 for CSK, but honestly on both occasions I didn’t feel like an Espior player but rather as part of those teams.” Like any other ambitious talented young player, his dream is first to finish his studies them play professional basketball for at least two years, have a family and do something constructive for his country “God willing.”Mugabe has won a number of titles. In 2008, while at St Joseph Kabgayi, he won his first high school title, and also came in 3rd position in the East African FEASSA Games (with St Joseph Kabgayi).While with Laiser Hill Academy in Kenya, he won the East Africa high school title and was also named MVP.With the Rwanda national team, he won the Zone 5 Championship in 2011. And he was MVP in 2012 Zone 5 Club Championships held in Kampala and MVP of Rwanda national league in 2013.He also played AFROBASKET 2011 in Madagascar, AFROBASKET club championship 2012 in Equatorial Guinea.According to some of his team mates for club and country as well as close friends, the 25-year-old is a very good person to work with. Some say, he is the best at what he does in the country. “He is quiet, polite and disciplined not only on the team but also in his private life. I mean he is what one would call a full package, all that coupled with his talent, the guy is a (living) legend,” explained APR forward Lionel Hakizimana.According to his club coach Jean Bahufite, Mugabe is characterised by exemplary discipline on and off the court, he is active and flexible among others attributes.“He is always where he is supposed to be at the right time and he does the right things at the right time, more so, he helps his team mates not only with advise but also encourages them never to give up. That’s why he is the team captain,” Bahufite said.A staunch Christian, Mugabe’s slogan is “I love to win, hate to lose” and according to him, he likes playing basketball more than anything and is “addicted” to music (hip hop and dancehall) and hard work in everything he does.His best memory is leading Espoir to both regular season league title and playoffs trophy last season.