To show that Rwanda will leave nothing to chance when the East Central and Southern Africa basketball championships start on November 23 till December 2 in Kigali, the local federation with help from the Rwanda government will line up a star-studded outfit so as to win their first title.
According to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, 5 Rwandan players plying their trade overseas have been summoned to the national team. The invited professionals include Edwin Ruhashya (England), Hamza Rukezamihigo (Canada), Albertin Kande (United States), Raoul Mugarura (South Africa), and Christian Ruguruka based in Canada.
The Rwandan government will foot the travel expenses of the 5 players in addition to paying them allowances.
"It's true we have received help from the ministry of sports about the five players and that's a good gesture from government," said an official from the local basketball body.Meanwhile, the Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (FUBA) has released a provisional list of both women and men's national basketball teams that will start training today (Monday) ahead of the November 23 hoops showpiece.
The list that was seen by Business Week is missing Steven Omony who plies his trade at PSL Hawks in Seychelles. Uganda beat Kenya 70-69 in last year's finals in Kampala.
The championships will attract Kenya, Seychelles, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Zanzibar, Rwanda and Burundi. The winner of the championship will automatically qualify for the 2007 Basketball Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Algiers. The top two will qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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