Afrobasket 2017: Rwanda’s coach Mutokambali wary of Tunisia

Rwanda national team head coach Moise Mutokambali has admitted that his team hosts Tunisia pose the biggest challenge to his team’s hopes of toping Group C at the upcoming FIBA Afrobasket Championships slated for September 6-16. For the first time, Africa’s biggest basketball tournament will have two host countries. Senegal will host Group B and Group D games, while Group A and Group C will play in Tunisia as well as all knock-outs from the last 8 stage. Mutokambali’s team left the country on August 26 to enhance their preparations in in Sousse. Rwanda returns to Afrobasket finals after missing the 2015 edition and will be seeking to go past group stages for the first time since the debut appearance in 2007. “We have had better preparations compared to previous years. We want to also do better than we ever did before—our primary goal to go past the group stages,” Mutokambali told Sunday Sport. Making their fifth appearance at the continent’s flagship competition, Rwanda has been drawn in Group C alongside Cameroon, hosts Tunisia and debutants Equatorial Guinea. Mutokambali noted that, “Tunisia is the team to beat in our pool. Guinea and Cameroon are countries with no known basketball history in Africa; however, anything can happen in such competitions, we won’t underrate any opponent.” Rwanda played a warm-up match against Central Africa Republic on Thursday night, which Mutokambali’s men won 73-48. According to reports from Tunisia, three players namely; Kenneth Wilson Gasana, Dan Manzi and Adonis Rwabigwi are yet to join the team in camp. Rwanda will start the bid against Equatorial Guinea on September 6. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Afrobasket 2017: Rwanda’s coach Mutokambali wary of Tunisia