The year 2019 was exceptionally eventful for local basketball than any other year in recent times, and possibly in the history of the game in Rwanda. From the construction and inauguration of the Kigali Arena, the international competitions hosted and successful bids to host more, that epic Game 7 night in the playoffs finals, to the unbeaten run for Patriots to the Basketball Africa League (BAL) ticket and the jubilant celebrations that accompanied each milestone left memories that will live on for a long time. In our last issue of Saturday Sport Magazine, Damas Sikubwabo looks at five events that dominated the headlines in 2019. Patriots secure BAL 2020 ticket in style Since the club’s establishment in 2014, Patriots have been the most dominant side in local basketball, and the three-time champions capped the decade in style last weekend as they reached the BAL 2020 finals tournament with an unprecedented unbeaten run in qualifiers. Patriots claimed their ticket after winning all their nine games in two qualifier rounds, which started with the first round in October, in Tanzania, where they won four games before winning five more in the second and final qualifiers in Kigali last week. Francis Odhiambo and his men wrapped up their campaign with an emphatic 94-63 victory over GNBC of Madagascar at a fully packed Kigali Arena in the final – a game that was also attended by President Paul Kagame. Inaugurated in August this year, Kigali Arena is the biggest indoor sports facility in Eastern and Central Africa. File Patriots are the only East African side among the 12 teams that make the inaugural BAL season, which kicks off in March 2020. NBA Africa launch new court in Kigali NBA Legend Jerome Williams is one of the global sports stars who visited Rwanda this year. During his October visit, the former Toronto Raptors star, 46, was a guest at the launch of a new basketball court at IPRC-Kigali, which was constructed under a partnership framework between NBA Africa and OCP Group, a world leader in the phosphate industry. At the launch, Desire Mugwiza, president of the Rwanda Basketball Federation, said that the new facility marked a significant milestone in the continuous development of young basketball talents and it would be used to host Jr NBA League games. Patriots retain league title in epic Game 7 After trailing Rwanda Energy Group 3-1 in the men’s playoffs finals, Patriots completed the unimaginable as they bounced back to capture their third league title in four years – and second in a row – with a 65-59 victory in an epic Game 7 in September. And, as a result, Patriots star Dieudonné Ndizeye was name the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2018/2019 season. Jean Victor Mukama, 26, was named the MVP of the BAL second round qualifiers in Kigali last week. File. It is thanks to the historic comeback that Patriots also won the rights to represent the country in the BAL tournament – a joint effort between the world basketball governing body (Fiba) and the American National Basketball Association (NBA). In the women’s category, APR lifted the league title after beating the Hoops Rwanda in six games in the best-of-seven finals series, with their guard Sandra Kantore clinching the MVP award. The army side also represented the country in the regional Fiba Africa Zone V club championship – held in Tanzania – where they finished in third position. Kigali Arena constructed in record time While officially inaugurating the 10,000-seat Kigali Arena on August 9, President Kagame commended Turkish company, Summa, for constructing the state-of-the-art facility in a short time possible. “I want to thank those who built this arena, Summa Company of Turkey, in only six months. They worked day and night. And that is how we should all learn to work fast and producing quality.” Since the completion of the multipurpose indoor facility, billed as the biggest in the Eastern and Central Africa, it has since hosted some of the major events in the country; sports, conferences and entertainment. The arena hosted the Gorilla Naming ‘Kwita Izina’ concert headlined by superstar Ne-Yo, the 4th Youth Connekt Africa Summit, and most recently the second round of BAL 2020 qualifiers for the East Division – also known as Group H qualifiers. Through the facility, Rwanda has also successfully won the bid to host the BAL 2020 semi-finals and the final – due in May. Rwanda wins bid to host Afrobasket 2021 Come 2021, Rwanda will become just the second East African country to ever organise the African Basketball Championship (Afrobasket), and the first since Kenya in 1993. Rwanda won the rights to host Africa’s biggest basketball event in June after beating three other countries in the bidding process. The other bidders included Senegal, DR Congo and Côte d’Ivoire. It is estimated that over 1000 guests – players, officials and fans – will be converging in Kigali for the competition. Tunisia are the reigning champions, while Angola have won it a record eleven times. Rwanda has featured at the Afrobasket five times in its last six editions since 2007, with the only exception of 2015.
