Basketball in Africa

Today
Rusizi vs APR
UR- CoE vs 30-Plus
IPRC vs Espoir
Sunday
Gisenyi vs UGB
UR- Huye vs APR
30-Plus vs Espoir
Espoir will go top of the national basketball league table standings if they win their two games this weekend against IPRC and 30-Plus today and tomorrow respectively.
The league and playoffs defending champions will however face an on-form league’s new entrants IPRC- Kicukiro today at Amahoro Indoor stadium, starting at 4pm in a game that promises to be a real spectacle.
Much as Jean Bahufite’s side will go into the games as overwhelming favourites, this game could go either way as fourth-placed IPRC-Kicukiro are determined to book a place in the playoffs.
Espoir are currently ranked second behind APR but have played three games less. They have 26 points from 13 matches, while APR have 27 from 16 matches.
“We want to win both games, and if it happens then we will be in line for the third consecutive league title. IPRC will pose the biggest threat . They are a solid side and have shown consistency,” Bahufite told Saturday Sport yesterday.
His counterpart of IPRC-Kicukiro Albert Buhake said, “We are ready and I believe we can upset  the best team in the league. Beating them would be a fantastic achievement for us.”

Mighty Barrolle, on Wednesday increases their chances for winning the 2014 Basketball Championship, when she thumped Barnersville Celtic, 71-62 points, reports Leroy M. Sonpon, lll.
The Rollers, in the first quarter, bowed to Barnersville Celtics 19-15 points, but led the remaining three quarters; 33-30, 47-35 and 71-62 points.
Wednesday’s game was rescheduled from Saturday, May 3 because of the rain.
The basketball outfit of the Kanyan pepper boys, last month in their strive to end their title famine in decades, pinned a number of basketball teams, including LPRC Oilers 55-53 points.
So far, Rollers have suffered two defeats to Timber Wolves and NPA Pythons, 53-49 and 64-54 points respectively.
Former and current basketball champions, NPA Pythons and LPRC Oilers surpassed Barrolle’s triumph. Both teams have so far lost a game.
However, in the second Wednesday’s game virtually youthful Timber Wolves convincingly walloped Dream Team II, 107-52 points, while Oilers boosted their chances over archrivals Pythons, winning 87-79 points.
The two games were also rescheduled from Sunday, May 4.
According to the fixture, the league continues today with two 2^nd division teams opening the floor; Uhuru Prince and Heats; and Cestos Morgars will face Dream Team II, in the first division.
Several spectators, including Mary Taylor, Siatta Mensah, David Nagbe and Jenkins Nah on Wednesday expressed their hope for a continuous favorite weather condition for the league to end successfully.
They urged the LBA management to take care of the generator to avoid mechanical fault and should not rent the gym during scheduled games days.
Die-hard Barrolle fan, Madam Taylor said it is sad for the games to be cancelled because of the rains and it is frustrating for the generator to cause the deferment of games.
Nagbe and Nah, in separate interviews said it is not correct for the LBA management to rent the Sports Commission

The shooting guard came through the challenge with a game-high 22 points despite not scoring in the first period. Ivan Rumanyika’s 17 points, 13 rebounds and three steals swung the game significantly. The season’s first overtime game also had Sam Aguti and Subbi Kasujja impress with a futile 15 and 14 points respectively, the former adding five assists

BBL: SUNDAY RESULTS
Men
UR-CoE 49-109 CSK
30-Plus 41-94 IPRC
UR-Huye 91-68 Gisenyi
Women
UR-CoE 14-104 Ubumwe
APR 60-20 UR-Huye
Cercle Sportif de Kigali recovered from Saturday’s defeat against APR to thrash University of Rwanda- College of Education 109-49 in the basketball league on Sunday.
The win moved the Rugunga-based side into second position with 26 points, level with reigning champions Espoir and one point behind leaders APR, who stunned CSK with a narrow 65-64 victory on Saturday.
In Sunday’s big win, former Rwanda international Mike Buzangu scored the game high 27 points, while Joseph Bukuru and Guillaume Ruzima added 21 and 14 points respectively.
“Saturday’s defeat was a big blow to our title hopes but we have shown great character to get back to winning ways against UR-CoE,” said CSK trainer Janvier Kamanzi.
Elsewhere newcomers IPRC-Kicukiro beat 30-Plus 94-41, while College of Arts and Social Sciences (UR-Huye) hammered Gisenyi 91-68.
Meanwhile, the game between Rusizi and two-time reigning champions Espoir on Sunday was postponed because of ‘commemoration day’ for 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rusizi District.
In women’s league, Ubumwe humiliated College of Education 104-14, while holders APR eased to a 60-20 victory over UR-Huye.

WEST Zone 3 got their 'B Ball Kitaa' campaign off to a flyer after they posted a 40-37 win over West Zone 4 in the opening match played at the Gymkana Club basketball ground on Sunday.
West Zone 4, comprising of players from Ilala Boma and Magomeni, started the game strongly and dominated the early proceedings of the street basketball encounter, which was played in two halves of ten minutes each.
Inspired by their captain Daniel Kapongo, Zone 4 took a six point lead early in the first half but the winners turned the game on its head after pulling level on six points before taking full control to open a 26-19 lead at the end of the first half.
John Saper and Jacob Marenga led the charge for West Zone 3, notching 9 and 6 points respectively in the opening half. B- Ball break dancers enthralled the crowd with a stunning show at the break to excitement of those in attendance.
There was a lively start to the second half with both teams showing passion for victory. Although West Zone 4 tried their best to chase the game, they found the going tough as Zone 3 players refused to surrender their lead.
Speaking post match, Western Zone 3 skipper, Ashraf Haroun said that their opponents started well and had to change their approach to overcome them. "We knew that it was not easy to penetrate their defence for layups (two-point shot attempts) then we changed our offensive approach, we started to shoot 3 points by using our point-guard Marenga," he said.
West Zone 4's Kapongo rued his team's mistakes that contributed to the loss but believes all teams played well even though. "We did some mistakes, I agree we were not fast as we should but I believe we're going to work on our problems and in the coming game we will emerge victorious," he said.

Lions, the oldest basketball club in the country is going through one of its toughest period in the national classic league’s history. After five matches played, they are yet to register a win as their woes continue to deepen.
They lost their key sponsor,Kenya Commercial Bank,KCB last season which led to the mass walk out by virtually all but three of their experienced players .
Denis Opiyo, Victor Ochieng and Moses Wanjara are the only faces remaining in the team from the one that reached playoff semifinals last season. Furthermore, head coach Francis Ngunjiri and his assistant Maurice Shitsama have never shown up in the team’s training as well as matches.
Could this be marking the beginning of the end of the mighty Lions?
“No, I am sure we will bounce back soon,” said Opiyo. “We are engaging a few prospective sponsors and their feedback is positive.”
Unlike in the past, the players have to manage themselves in the absence of a substantive technical bench.
The team solely depended on contributions from individual players to run their campaign last season.
Most of them were employed but it is not business as usual since their departure.
Lions train at the KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka twice per week at a fees of Sh. 3, 000 every month which has kept away many players.
Lions fall heavy to Co-op 
On Saturday, Lions lost 74-28 to longtime rivals and league champions Co-operative Bank in a league match. Co-op led 32-17 at the breather.
Only seven players showed up for the match and could not match the bankers who were a full-house.
Nicholas Anyang top scored for the bankers with 17 points while Moses Ochieng scored 9 for Lions.
United States International University- Africa, USIU-A, had a double win for the weekend. On Saturday, the students beat Blazers 62-18 as Abel Nson scored 12 points from the three-point line against his former side (Blazers).
Alvin Nyangweso added 16 points for USIU while Blazers’ top scorer was Jay Michoma with 7. A day later, USIU was up for their second win beating Equity Bank 55-45. Victor Bosire scored 10 points and Kevin Kigotho added 9 for the students.
The bankers’ highest scorer was George Omenda with 11 points. Varsity side Terrorist continued with their fine run this season with a 38-33 comeback win over Nairobi Aviation College.
Aviation led 22-16 at halftime after registering 6-2 and 16-14 wins in the first two quarters. The third quarter tied at 7-7 while Terror carried home the fourth with a 15-4 score.
Co-op beat KCA 
Innocent Adagala scored 11 points for Terror and Alit Makuac had 16 for Aviation. Blades from Strathmore University was also on the winning side beating visiting Nakuru Club 71-58.
Valentine Nyakinda scored 18 points for Blades while Denis Makori top scored for Nakuru with 15. In the other match of men premier, Kenya Airports Authority beat Kenyatta University Pirates 79-50.
Shem Otieno had a game high 21 points for KAA while Benson Moibi scored 13 for Pirates. Co-op Bank won 65-38 against Kenya College of Accountancy- University, KCA-U, in their women premier match.
Grace Wanjiku scored 18 points for the bankers while Rebecca Nkatha had 10 for the students. USIU-A had two wins for the weekend; beating Sprite Storms 29-24 in a low scoring match and Mennonite 66-15.
Weekend Results: Co-op Bank 65 KCA-U 38 (Ladies), USIU-A 66 Mennonite 15 (Ladies), Blades 71 Nakuru Club 58, Parklands Baptist 32 Dankind Academy 69, Barclays Bank 44 ANU 31, Umoja 60 KCA-U 50, KU Pirates 50 KAA 79, Co-op Bank 74 Lions 28, Blazers 18 USIU-A 62, Terror 38 Nairobi Aviation College 33, Sprite Storms 24 USIU-A 29, USIU-A 55 Equity Bank 45

In three weeks' time, the Uganda national basketball team, the Silverbacks, will represent the country in the Zone V qualifiers here in Kampala.
However, after their 54-64 loss to City Oilers in a friendly match, they need a great deal of improvement; yet time is running out, writes Felix Eupal.
Poor preparations and lack of funds have been chronic issues for the Silverbacks for a long time. However, that was solved with the creation of a national team steering committee early this year.
The committee got to work in style by arranging a one-off Enoch Cup between the Silverbacks and City Oil. With a trophy on hand and Shs 2m up for grabs for the winner, this was meant to bring the best of the national team ahead of more difficult tasks against the region's top teams.
In the end, however, the Silverbacks flattered to deceive. This poses several questions and doubts whether Uganda would lift Zone V qualifiers for the first time since 2005. Uganda needs at least to reach the finals in both the men's and ladies' categories to qualify for the basketball Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted in Egypt next year.
Mandy Juruni, the national coach, knows the picture is not rosy. The offence was blunt, ball rotation lacking, and most of all, the team had no rhythm. They converted only three of 19 shots out of the arc as the Oilers dominated the rebounds 46 to 33. Juruni admits it will be hard to get rhythm before he trims down the team to 12 players.
With more than 20 players in camp, this has bred anxiety and discontent as players remain unsure of their status. "They don't have enough trust in us and we probably won't make the team but we just give our all," says Geoffrey Soro.
The Ndejje forward was not included on the initial team but was later summoned to take part in training. Another inclusion that surprised many is that of Norman Blick, despite being dropped for missing training. According to Juruni, Blick's fate lies in the hands of the disciplinary committee but: "I definitely believe he will make my final 12."
So with Blick back into the team, will we see Isaac Afidra, Ivan Enabu, and Ronnie Kasewu who were dropped also doing the same? Juruni remains cagey on that. As such, the scramble for places is tight and with four foreign-based players expected to fly in this week, it leaves eight slots for the locals.
Matters weren't helped when Juruni and his team missed training on Saturday because the Lugogo arena wasn't available. The Silverbacks have two training sessions this week starting Tuesday before Juruni will select his final squad.

Saturday
Men
APR               65-64       CSK
Espoir             85-66       UR- Huye
KBC               59-55       Gisenyi
UR- CE          51-108     IPRC
Women
UR-CE            28-47       UR-Huye
APR MAINTAINED their lead at the top of the table after narrowly beating Cercle Sportif de Kigali (CSK) 65-64 in a national basketball league game played on Saturday at Kicyiru SOS courts.
Sunny Niyomugabo scored 18 points and Jean Baptiste Kabayiza added 14 for the military side.
Patrick Buzangu scored the game high 25 points with his young brother Mike Buzangu adding 20, but their effort was not enough to prevent CSK from suffering a second defeat of the season.
CSK’s other loss came at the hands of the two-time reigning champions Espoir, who beat them 56-47 on March 8.
“I congratulate my players for this victory. We want to keep the momentum throughout the second round,” APR’s Kenyan-born technician Cliff Owour said. Owuor has won the league title five times with APR since his arrival at the club in 2005.
The defeat leaves CSK in third place behind APR and Espoir, who remain second following their 85-66 win over University of Rwanda School of social sciences and arts.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

2014

Falcons Vs Vegetarian 6:30PM
Vegetarian is next in the queue this evening at YMCA and their fate might not be different. Syrus Kiviiri has scored atleast 20 points in each of the games and being a natural scorer with an inherent desire to put up numbers, Vegetarian will have trouble limiting the shooting guard let alone stopping him.
With last season’s regular season MVP, Ben Okumu still struggling to find the hands in the post that got him the accolade, Vegetarian might have to go through other options in Grace Adra, John Otto and Vinnie Jurua to cause any kind of scare to the Falcons.
Unlike most of the game days, both tonight’s match-ups will be between men’s sides. The second game of the evening will see Charging Rhinos who shocked UCU Canons in their season opening game and blown out by Falcons on the weekend face defending champions City Oilers.
After a shock loss to UCU on the opening night, City Oilers have won two in succession including the 82-81 edge of Power. As Nkumba Marines will testify, Oilers have got no more room for complacence.
The team sheets and stats show Vegetarian and Charging Rhinos have got no chance in their respective encounters.

It is now two out of two for Falcons and scoring atleast 85 points in each of the encounters. TheFalcons made no work of the Charging Rhinos with an 86-58 victory on Sunday evening. Steven Omony scored game high 28 points to lead the way for Falcons, Syrus Kiviiri added 22 points and Steven Tumwesigye grabbed game high 12 rebounds to go with 4 points off the  bench. Rashid Male the only Rhino to reach double figures, had team high 16 points and Abel Omoding contributed 8 points.
Barbara Okot added 10 points. Stormers were led by last season’s regular season MVP Carol Nyafwono with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Racheal Nanyonga chipped in with 10 points.

2014

2014

FIBA U18 Zone V Championship
Girls: Rwanda 55-73 Uganda
Boys: Rwanda 61-63
THE national junior teams failed to book places to the continental championships after losing their final matches in the Fiba Zone Five Championship which climaxed on Thursday in Kampala, Uganda.
The boys’ team which went into the championship as defending champions lost the title to hosts Uganda after losing their final game.
Uganda beat Rwanda with a narrow score 63-61 to lift the regional title and book a ticket to the African tournament which will be held in Cote d’Ivoire.
In the women’s category, Rwanda lost to winners Uganda by a 20-point gap, with the hosts registering a 73-53 win to qualify for the Africa U18 championships scheduled to be held in Madagascar later this year.
Rwanda’s women team finished bottom while Kenya was last in the boy’s category.
This was Uganda’s third title. The country’s two titles were won in the 2005 Fiba Men’s Zone V championship and the 2009 U-18 girls Zone V crown.

After learning of how the basketball clubs’ off season business was done, it comes to you naturally that it will either be Tiger Head Power or City Oilers who will be crowned champions come December when the 2014 National Basketball League season hits the peak. Their first leg match-up last Friday cements that feeling.
City Oilers added experience in Jeff Omondi and Ben Komakech on last season’s championship winning team. Power has the biggest bench in league with half of it good enough to start. Basically the two teams are stars stuffed.
However, Riham Warriors’ coach, Gad Eteu argues that having stars on your team does not necessarily make you win the championship. “It is something else having stars and winning the championship. You have got to be a team and that is what we want to establish.” he said.
Warriors brought in Javan Odhiambo, Sedar Sagamba and Michael Mukula during the off season to replace mostly bench players in Yunzu Maige, Jacob Tokmac and Noel Hesbon (with the exception of Sam Gombya) who left the club. Eteu believes that the trio along with the old players can push the club forward.
“The players we have are ok – for now” he said. “Mark (Opio) will be back by the end of the month, Eric (Malinga) is in the gym, he will be ok to play some part this season. The rest of the guys are fine”
Ivan Enabu who made a u-turn after being unveiled by Tiger Head Power is yet to be cleared to play for Warriors. “He (Enabu) is awaiting FUBA’s clearance and he will play”
Having missed to play at the finals last year (after back-to-back appearances), Warriors’ aspirations for the season are bare. “We are working for the championship game” Eteu told Kawowo Sports.

• May 14, 2014
• Written by Franklin Kaweru

Sport plays a positive role in youth development, including improved academic achievement, higher self-esteem and fewer behavioural problems. Competence, confidence, connections, character, and caring – which are considered by many as critical components of positive youth development are the focus of youth sport.
Dr. Emmanuel Elobu, Emmanuel Angwella, Fredricks Owora and Gad Eteu can’t agree more as that was in sight when starting ‘Just Keep Living’ (JKL) Dolphins basketball club – team made up of school going players. “It is all about the development of (youth) players in all aspects of life. We want them to ‘just keep living’ no matter what” Angwella told Kawowo Sports.
The literature on youth sport stresses the positive effects of participation in learning the important life skills of goal setting and time management combined with enjoyment; the development of a strong sense of morality; and the development of an appreciation of diversity “This is a group different players that were hand-picked. We want to nature these guys along the line they wish to if they are not playing basketball” Eteu said.
One of the major issues that have affected sport in this country has been finance. Basketball giants – Power, Warriors and Falcons let alone City Oilers have given proper demonstrations by landing deals with different companies to finance the clubs and JKL proprietors’ are looking in a similar direction. “We have given it five years to develop. We are using our incomes to finance the club activities at the moment but we want this club to finance its activities within that period (5 years) of time. We want to have as many partners on board as we can.” Angwella said.
Under the guidance of Brian Wathum assisted by local basketball legend Henry Malinga and the determination of the proprietors JKL Dolphins might be the next big thing in Ugandan Basketball. JKL is currently playing Division 2. “We want Dolphins to be the most competitive club in the region. We want to be up there in 5 years” Angwella told Kawowo Sports.
You can follow the activities of the club on social media. Facebook: JKL Dolphins Basketball CLUB  Twitter: @jkldolphins256

Recreativo do Libolo crushed Petro de Luanda by 121-90, last Tuesday at Cidadela pavilion, in Luanda, in the main game of the second round of the third leg of the final phase of the National Senior Male Basketball Championship (Bai-Basket).
By half time the Libolo team were already in advantage of six points (57-51).
For the same round, 1º de Agosto defeated Interclube by 89-69 at Victorino Cunha pavilion.
With this result, Recreativo do Libolo now haves 15 points in the leadership and are closer to conquering the title. 1º de Agosto come second with 13 points, followed by Petro de Luanda with 11 points, while Interclube stand in the last position with nine points.

men’s league
Sunday
Rusizi 101-43 UR-CE
APR 50-56 IPRC-Kigali
Saturday
UR-Huye 74-55 UR-CE
UGB 56-40 30Plus
Friday
Espoir 68-58 APR
DEFENDING champions Espoir Basketball Club continued their dominancy in the national basketball league as they registered a 10-point gap against APR to maintain the lead at the summit of the standings over the weekend.
They registered a 68-58 win over rivals APR on Saturday to move to 24 points in 12 matches played this season.
Closest arch rivals CSK who never played over the weekend are joint second with APR on 23 points. However APR has played two matches more than Espoir and CSK. UR-Huye won their fourth game of the season, beating UR-CE 74-55 while United Generation Basketball defeated 30 Plus 56-40 on Saturday.
On Sunday, Rusizi thrashed UR-CE 101-43 as APR beat IPRC-Kigali 50-56.
UGB stand fourth on the ladder with 21 points in 13 matches; followed by IPRC-Kigali in fifth position with 20 points.
Gisenyi and UR-CE are placed bottom of the standings with 15 and 14 points after playing 15 and 14 matches respectively this season. The Nyamirambo-based club, Espoir who have won the league and playoffs titles for the past two consecutive seasons are keen to maintain the dominancy according to head coach Jean Bahufite.
Espoir set the record of winning the league title three times in a row from 2003 to 2005 and that was equaled by their archrivals APR in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The reigning league and playoff champions are planning to finish the league with an unbeaten run.