Basketball in Africa

REIGNING CHAMPIONS Espoir and APR women basketball clubs are set to represent Rwanda at this year’s Fiba/Africa Zone Five club championships set for next month in Kenya.
The one-week competition will run from August 25 to 31 at the KPA Makande Hall in Mombasa, Kenya. Burundi’s Urunani BBC are the defending champions in the men’s category while Eagle Wings are holders of the women’s title.
Speaking to Saturday Sport yesterday, Espoir BBC head coach Jean Bahufite who doubles as national men’s senior team assistant said that his side is ready for the regional competition.
“We are ready for the tournament. Preparations are already underway. We have started early so as to get enough time to put our team in an excellent shape,” Bahufite said.
He also added that his side will build on the performance staged in the last two editions, having won the tournament in 2012 and reaching the final in 2013 to reclaim the zonal crown for the second time, adding that the target is attainable.
However, APR women’s team which also represented the country at the 2013 edition in Burundi did not perform well as they consecutively lost 50-35 to Burundi’s Les Gazelles and 65-51 to Tanzania’s Don Bosco to get knocked-out in the group stages