Basketball in Africa

By Julius Mbaraga
Kigali

Two foreign clubs have been lined up for this year's Gisembe memorial tournament which unfolds today at Kimisagara Youth Centre, Kigali.

Dynamo and Urunani basketball clubs from Burundi together with APR and Espoir are set to contend for the tournament's top prize.

Espoir who are also the tournament organizers open the day's action with a tie against Dynamo before reigning champions APR clash with Urunani in the second game.

The 2006 season national league champions APR will be seeking redemption after failing to make this season's play-offs.

The league and Gisembe reigning champions failed to qualify for this year's play-offs after being edged by league debutants CSK A.

However, APR's Kenyan coach Cliff Owuor insists that his side is pumped up to prevail in the two-day tournament as a way of silencing critics for their play-off woes.

"Our exclusion from this year's play-offs has been hard on everybody. It has been hard on me, the players, the club administration but we have to move on and focus on the future.

"Gisembe tournament is here and we are the defending champions, so the pressure would on us as everyone wants to beat the champions," the former Kenyan international said.

Meanwhile, in the women category, Rwanda National University (UNR) takes on bitter rivals APR in the only game. The finals are scheduled for tomorrow at the same venue and would be preceded by with a three-pointer and dunk competitions.

Gisembe Memorial is an annual tournament organized and funded by Espoir basketball club in memory of their players, officials and fans but specifically their all-time great Gisembe Ntawugera a victim of the 1994 genocide.

Today's fixtures
Espoir (Rwa) v Dynamo (Bur)
APR (Rwa) v Urunani (Bur)