Players

AS an orphan without a home and family to turn to, Kalima D.

Kizito used basketball to overcome the horrors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Kizito who lives in indiana, USA told local media over the weekend how he survived death four times after being struck by machetes in his birth place Nyanza, Southern Province during the Genocide

“April 1994, I lay bleeding in a ditch littered with dead bodies, after being struck by a machete, staring at the sky waiting to die. Surviving four times near death situations, I hid in swamps where I spent two months before I was liberated by RPF/Inkotanyi.”

“As an orphan without a home and family to turn to, sport became my refuge.”

He lamented that as a teenager towering at nearly 6’6 (2 meters) during the Genocide, he had no aspirations of playing sports professionally.

“Back then sports was merely a hobby. I was extremely passionate about sports. I remember making a soccer ball out of plastic bags and rubber bands as a young boy, playing volleyball and soccer regularly with kids in my neighborhood and going home at night covered in dirt after playing any sport.”

While he loved sports, he never saw it as a means to an end. “I longed to be a judge or a university professor as my father was a well-respected educator and a community leader.”

“My family history was rooted in academia. Though tall and athletic, each of my nine siblings focused not on building their muscles, rather they sought to enlighten their minds.”

The Genocide and the sequence of events completely changed his outlook and ultimately his destiny. “After losing my parents, a sibling, countless aunts uncles and cousins during the Genocide I found myself isolated and angry.”

The only refuge left for him was sports. “I had heard of this game called basketball as a child. However, I had never picked up basketball until after the Genocide.”

After reading and learning about athletes such as Dikembe Mutombo, Manute Bol and Hakeem Olajuwon, he began to realise the power that this sport had in terms of offering opportunity to young talented African athletes.

After the Genocide, he convinced a local NGO to give him a ball and began to immerse himself into the sport.

“I lived, breathed and ate basketball. My efforts and passion led me to play for Progressive High School in Bweyogerere, Kampala in Uganda as well as a basketball club called the Falcons.”

“We did not possess the fancy uniforms that I saw on TV or play in the fancy wooden courts as professional American basketball players did.”

“Our passion was undeniable. Each day I woke at dawn, went to school, then walked several kilometers each day only to engage in grueling practice. My efforts paid off in the form of an opportunity to come to America.”

Fast forward to July 1998, Kizito was standing 6’9’’ (2.06 meters) on board a 747 British Airways headed to the US.

When asked how he was able to get the lifetime opportunity, he only answered with one word, Basketball.

His basketball career continued through high school in Chicago, Illinois, USA and he was being recruited by many major colleges and university.

However, his citizenship status hindered him from playing in a division one school. “Still determined I ended up playing at Indiana University South Bend, until I was ultimately permanently sidelined due to an injury when I ruptured my Achilles tendon.

“I was devastated. Basketball had been my therapy. I had replaced the images and horrors that I had witnessed during the Genocide with the high I felt when I played the game I loved.”

“My height was my main undoing during the Genocide but it had also allowed me opportunities beyond my wildest dreams.”

Gradually, he learned that he could find happiness in other areas when he married and adopted two young Rwandan Genocide survivors who needed a permanent home and a loving family.

“I currently pour my energy into sharing my story of survival in an effort to encourage and inspire others. My love for the game that changed my life, however, remains strong.”

“I continue to feel a sense of euphoria when I step on the court. Watching basketball at any level, played by anyone, men, women, children, domestic, international, still brings me joy.”

“While basketball does not wholly define me as a person, it is certainly an undeniable part of me. I survived the Genocide by the grace of God. I believe that God had a larger purpose for my life.”

All Star forward Carmelo Anthony went down with a knee injury but the New York Knicks deferred their concern long enough to overcome a 22-point deficit and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-97.

Anthony tumbled near midcourt after landing wrong in the second quarter and did not return. He indicated after the game that the right knee was sore for some time, and the Knicks said their high-scoring forward will be evaluated on Tuesday.

Trailing 52-30 at the time of Anthony’s injury, the visiting Knicks were able to trim the deficit to 12 by halftime and finally overpower Cleveland in the fourth quarter.

New York reserves Amar’e Stoudemire (22 points) and J.R. Smith (18) led the rally without their fallen standout.

Anthony, who entered the night tied with Kevin Durant for NBA’s top scoring average at 28.6, finished with six points.

He has missed games this season with various injuries, but the Knicks (36-21) can hardly afford to be without him now as they battle for the East’s second seed, currently trailing Indiana by a half-game.

Heat 97, Timberwolves 81

The Miami Heat calmly pushed their winning streak to 15 games with a 97-81 victory over the injury-riddled Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.

Dwyane Wade scored 32 points with 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Eastern Conference leading Miami (44-14).

LeBron James – back in the line-up after tweaking his knee Sunday – added 20 points and 10 boards as the visiting Heat ended a two-game road swing with yet another victory.

Minnesota (20-37), which lost for the sixth straight time, was led by Derrick Williams, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Bucks 109, Jazz 108 (OT)

Monta Ellis scored 34 points and Brandon Jennings had 20 points and 17 assists as the Bucks used a big third-quarter run to hold off short-handed Utah 109-108 in overtime at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Ellis, named Eastern Conference Player of the Week earlier in the day, scored seven points during Milwaukee’s 12-0 run in the third quarter. J.J. Redick came off the bench to add 17 points, including eight of Milwaukee’s 10 points in overtime.

Derrick Favors, starting in place of Al Jefferson, got Utah off to a good start, scoring 15 first-quarter points as the Jazz built a 24-20 lead.

Favors finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds and Paul Millsap added 22 points and 14 rebounds for Utah (32-27).

Magic 105, Hornets 102

Arron Afflalo scored nine of Orlando’s final 15 points in the closing 3:14, including a go-ahead, 10-foot jumper in the lane, to lead the Magic to a 105-102 comeback victory over the Hornets at New Orleans Arena.

The Magic, who won for just the fifth time in their last 36 games, erased a 17-point deficit in the second half and a nine-point deficit with 3:28 to go. Afflalo scored 11

points in the fourth quarter.

After Greivis Vasquez gave the Hornets their final lead of the game at 100-99 with 1:06 left on a driving bank shot, Afflalo posted up Eric Gordon on Orlando’s next possession and made his tough jumper in the lane. He added three free throws in the final 18.8 seconds to secure the win for the Magic (17-44).

The Hornets (21-40) got 17 points each from Anthony Davis, Vasquez and Gordon, but they could not keep Afflalo or Jameer Nelson, who finished with 15 points, out of the lane down the stretch.

Nuggets 104, Hawks 88

Corey Brewer scored 22 points off the bench and Kenneth Faried had 10 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Denver Nuggets to their fifth straight win, a 104-88 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Ty Lawson had 18 points and eight assists for Denver, which is 22-7 since Jan. 1. Denver has won 11 straight at Pepsi Center and improved to 26-3 at home, tying Miami for tops in the NBA.

The Hawks are limping home after losing the last three of the six-game road trip. They played the Nuggets with a shortened bench after two starters were ruled out before the game.

Center Joakim Noah continued to shine and the Bulls moved into a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings by beating the Brooklyn Nets 96-85 at the United Center.

On Thursday against Philadelphia, Noah became the first NBA player in 15 years to record at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks in a game. Against Brooklyn, Noah produced 21 points, 10 rebounds and hit 10-of-13 shots from the field.

Carlos Boozer added 20 points for Chicago, while Jimmy Butler contributed 13 points off the bench. The Bulls shot 52.1 percent from the field as a team.

The Nets, who lost at home to Dallas on Friday, have now dropped four of their last five games. Center Brook Lopez led Brooklyn with 22 points, while guard Deron Williams added 14 and forward Andray Blatche scored 13.

Bucks 122, Raptors 114 (OT)

Ersan Ilyasova scored 29 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Bucks took control in overtime for a 122-114 victory over Toronto at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Monta Ellis finished with 23, including a 3-pointer with 1:03 left in overtime to put the Bucks ahead by six. J.J. Redick went 6-of-12 from the field to finish with 16 points while Larry Sanders added 13 points with 12 rebounds and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 10.

Brandon Jennings scored 11 points and finished with a career-high 19 assists – 10 of them in the first half – for Milwaukee, which had help on 32 of its 46 shots.

Alan Anderson paced the Raptors with 21 points. Demar DeRozan scored 18 while Amir Johnson added 19 with nine rebounds and Landry Fields finished with 15.

76ers 104, Warriors 97

Jrue Holiday scored 27 points and Evan Turner had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 104-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Royal Ivey scored a season-high 17 points for the Sixers (23-34), who eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time in 13 games.

Thaddeus Young had 14 points and 16 rebounds, and it was his basket with 3:18 left, which came after Turner rebounded Holiday’s miss and found Young underneath, that broke a 94-94 tie and put the Sixers ahead to stay.

urner added jumpers with 2:38 and 2:03 left, respectively, pushing the Philadelphia lead to 100-94. And after Klay Thompson hit a 3-pointer with 1:51 left, Holiday had two baskets in the final minute.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (R) reacts as guard Vince Carter (L) guards Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant during the game

Kobe Bryant fired back at Dallas owner Mark Cuban with 38 points as he devastated the opposing defense to lift the Los Angeles Lakers past the Mavericks 103-99 on Sunday.

After Cuban recently suggested the Lakers should consider waiving Bryant and his league-high salary next season, the five-time NBA champion showed his worth with an artistic display of clutch shooting and all-around effort that included 12 rebounds and seven assists.

“It was a big win for us,” Bryant said after finishing with 14 fourth-quarter points to seal the triumph. “(I tried to) be patient, attack but still read the defence. We made some tough shots.”

Dallas (25-30) led 90-87 midway through the fourth quarter but visiting Los Angeles nosed ahead with a seven-nil run led by Bryant and Steve Nash who finished with 20 points.

The victory was the third straight for Los Angeles (28-29) who moved within 2-1/2 games of a Western Conference playoff spot that Bryant has guaranteed the team will secure.

The Mavericks, 10th in the West, are also battling for a spot and Dirk Nowitzki put up 30 points and 13 rebounds.

Cuban’s comments centred around the NBA’s “amnesty clause,” which allows a team to release a player and avoid paying taxes on their salary.

The Mavericks owner has said that his suggestion was just hypothetical, while the Lakers released a statement saying such talk was “inappropriate.”

Bryant silenced all talk in the fourth where he made three straight difficult jump shots to leave the Dallas crowd murmuring.

Bryant and Nash combined for 11 of the last 12 Lakers’ points to make up for a quiet day from Dwight Howard who battled foul trouble and had nine points and 13 rebounds.

Bryant was following up a 40-point game in Friday’s win against Portland.

“That’s why he’s Kobe Bryant,” said Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni. “When he puts his mind to something, for the last 17 years he’s been able to accomplish it.”

NBA East All-Star Kevin Durant 

Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin provided a potent mix of outside shooting and inside dominance to lift the Western Conference to a 143-138 victory over the Eastern Conference in the NBA All-Star game on Sunday.

According to Reuters, Durant scored 30 points and Griffin added 19, on nine-of-11 shooting, but the Most Valuable Player Award went to Chris Paul, who scored 20 points and added 15 assists for the West.

Paul told Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer and last year’s All-Star game MVP, to expect to see the ball in his hands.

“I told KD early in the first quarter, ‘Man, if they score anything, you run. I’ll get you the ball, you score. I want to be the one to give it to you,’” recalled the Los Angeles Clippers guard.

“In games like this it’s so up-tempo and fast paced, a guy like me that’s a facilitator, I enjoy it.”

Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks paced the East with 26 points, followed by Miami guard Dwyane Wade, who had 21, and LeBron James, who added 19.

Durant hit 13-of-24 shots to lead the West to a third straight victory in the annual showcase that features little defence, a lot of dunks, and plenty of assists for anyone who decides to pass.

“I’m just out there having fun,” Oklahoma City forward Durant said. “I played a lot of street basketball. I played a lot of celebrity games.

“This is my type of ballgame, up and down.”

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, a three-time MVP of the game, duelled James several times in the fourth quarter and came out on top. James nailed seven-of-18 shots but misfired on all four fourth-quarter attempts.

James, a forward with the Miami Heat, said he was not startled to see the smaller Bryant guarding him with the game on the line.

“He does it all the time,” James said. “I am absolutely not surprised. It was all in good spirit. It was just two guys that love to compete, love to go at it. It was a lot of fun.”

The West held a three-point, fourth-quarter lead but a 25-foot, three-pointer by Paul, a driving lay-up by Bryant, and a dunk by Durant pushed the lead to 136-126 with 2:34 left.

Anthony said at half-time with the West leading 69-65 his East team mates decided “we were going to go after it”.

“Everybody competed,” he said. “We get guys out there of that calibre, they’re going to compete. Nobody likes to lose.

“At the end of the day, we’re all basketball players, we’re all competitors.”

The sell-out Toyota Center crowd of 16,101 roared its approval at the array of alley-oop baskets, sprints to the hoop, and the rim-rattling dunks by Griffin, Paul’s team mate with the Clippers.

West coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs praised both teams, saying: “Those guys are the best in the world and they competed and worked hard.”

“They respected the game,” he said. “They respected each other. Nobody got hurt. The fans had a great time. That’s what it’s all about.”

Rudy Gay

Rudy Gay drained the game-winning shot in the final seconds as the rejuvenated Toronto Raptors withstood a furious fightback from the Denver Nuggets for a 109-108 victory over one of the NBA’s hottest teams.

Reuters reported that trailing by a point with five seconds remaining, Toronto’s newest acquisition drained the go-ahead jump shot just before Ty Lawson’s attempt to give the visitors the win bounced off the rim as the final buzzer sounded.

“He is a big-time player. He is a closer. His roll card has ‘closer’ all across the front of it,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said when asked about Gay’s game-winning shot.

“He has done it at high levels like in the play-offs … I have seen him do it so many times. That is what he does.”

With the win, the Raptors (20-32) moved to within six games of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but, perhaps more importantly for fans of the long struggling team, improved to 4-2 since acquiring Gay last month.

Gay, who also had the game-winner last Friday in Indiana, entered the game averaging 23.4 points for the Raptors after scoring 17.2 per game with the Memphis Grizzlies this season.

He got off to a fast start against the Nuggets, scoring 13 points in the first quarter as Toronto built their biggest lead of the game. But the 26-yeard-old forward got into foul trouble and had to watch from the bench until late in the game.

“Oh man, my hands were sweating and I couldn’t stop moving my legs, I was itching to get out there,” said Gay, who finished with 17 points. “Obviously it’s not a game I am proud of but I am proud to get this win with the team.”

DeMar DeRozan had a team-high 22 points for the Raptors, who take a three-game winning streak to New York for a game against the Knicks on Wednesday.

For Denver (33-20), playing in their first game since the team’s longest winning streak in nearly eight years ended in Sunday’s triple-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics, the loss was their fourth in 19 games.

Lawson paced the Nuggets with a game-high 29 points.

Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves coped with the absence of head coach Rick Adelman and All Star forward Kevin Love to beat Atlanta 108-103, ending a near seven-year winless run against the Hawks.

Timberwolves coach Adelman missed the game for personal reasons, while Love is out indefinitely after re-injuring his right hand last week, but the home team still had enough beat the Hawks for the first time since April 2006.

Nikola Pekovic scored 25 points and had 18 rebounds, Andrei Kirilenko added 21 for Minnesota (16-15), who had lost 11 straight to the Hawks before Tuesday’s game.

“We were really motivated,” Pekovic told Yahoo Sports. “I think everyone wants to step up and show more.”

Minnesota led 100-89 with four minutes remaining but Atlanta managed to cut the deficit to one in the final minute. Minnesota’s Dante Cunningham made a crucial jump shot with 15 seconds left and the Timberwolves added free throws to put the game away.

Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio returned from a four-game absence with back spasms and had eight assists in just 19 minutes of action.

Josh Smith and Louis Williams each scored 21 for the Hawks (20-13), who have lost three straight.

“If this doesn’t change there’s going to have to be some changes, that’s plain and simple,” said Hawks coach Larry Drew.

“(To) come out and not be energized to play, that’s totally unacceptable.”

Atlanta fell behind early, trailing by as much as 17 in the second, but they sprang to life late in the fourth, with Kyle Korver making two straight three-pointers. Al Horford had 19 and 11 rebounds in the defeat.

Brandon Roy

Brandon Roy has returned to practice on a limited, no-contact basis with the Minnesota Timberwolves a month after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee – an accomplishment by itself given the chronic problems he’s had.

The former NBA Rookie of the Year and All-Star decided to revive his career in Minnesota this season. Roy said the latest knee trouble didn’t prompt him to consider retirement, like he did a year ago when he was with Portland.

“I never thought about walking away. It was just, for me, do I want to go through another procedure? Or do I want to play through it?” Roy told NBA.com Thursday.

Roy said he felt fine in training camp, but he banged knees with another player in an exhibition game against Milwaukee on Oct. 26, and the discomfort worsened after another collision in a game against Indiana on Nov. 9. He had the operation on Nov. 19.

Roy has been doing light drills with the team but said there’s no timetable for his return to the lineup. The Wolves have four games in the next five days, so he won’t be back for that. He said he’ll start to practice at full speed next week.

“The goal was to try to come in and help this team out, so I still have a lot of time left to try to do that. You can’t prepare for something like that, but now I’ve gone through it.

About a month later, I’m happy we got it done, and I feel better,” said Roy, who played in five games before the surgery.

Roy acknowledged “that small concern” in the back of his mind that he’ll never reach 100 percent strength in his knees again but said several times in a post-practice interview with reporters that he feels good and the pain is gone.

Whenever Roy retakes the court, he’ll be overshadowed by certain other backcourt player coming off a knee injury. The Wolves host Dallas on Saturday, when point guard Ricky Rubio could make his season debut.

The standout from Spain has been practicing at full speed and is simply waiting for clearance from the team. Coach Rick Adelman said Rubio hasn’t had any setbacks.

“I really have no idea. Every day they’re testing. They’re doing work on him, to see where he’s at. I’m sure we’ll make that decision come Saturday,” Adelman said.

Backup point guard J.J. Barea spoke eagerly of Rubio’s return, echoing the sentiment of everyone on the team and around it.

“He wants to be out there with us and help us win, so I think for the whole city and for us it’s good to have him back,” Barea said.

Malcolm Lee, who has been starting at shooting guard lately with Roy out, left Wednesday’s game with a hyperextended right knee. He didn’t take part in Thursday’s light workout, and the team said he wouldn’t travel to New Orleans for Friday’s game.

As the first leg of the national basketball league climaxes this weekend, Espoir basketball club is eyeing to win the league title in seven years.

Even though it is still early to predict anything at this time of the league, Bahufite wants his club to win the eighth league title this year.

The three-time champions are the only unbeaten team in the national league after beating rivals and reigning champions Kigali Basketball Club 72-57 over last weekend.

“I am confident with my team, and without sounding overconfident, I believe we will win the league. We have very good players, who know what it takes to be successful,” Bahufite told local media on Monday.

He noted, “It has been a long time since Espoir won the league and our focus is to make sure we end that (drought). We are hungrier to win it than any of our rivals.”

The former champions will end their first round matches this weekend against UGB, defending champions KBC meet former champion APR, while 30-Plus will be battling Rusizi in Kimisagara.

The action will continue on Sunday when National University of Rwanda take on Rusizi while Kigali Institute of Education host Circle Sportif de Kigali.

After seven matches, Espoir lead the league table standing with 14 points with Kigali Basketball Club on second position with 13 points, while APR are third with 12 points.

UGB, 30-Plus and National University of Rwanda are on nine points; Rusizi is in position 8 with 7pts while Kigali Institute of Education comes last with 6pts.

Dirk Nowitzki will miss the start of the NBA regular season after having knee surgery that is expected to keep him out of the Dallas lineup for six weeks.

If everything goes according to schedule, the 34-year-old Nowitzki will miss about a dozen games starting with his team’s October 30 season-opener versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

The German, the only European to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, started having troubles with his right knee before last season.

He had the knee drained twice in the past month to reduce swelling and soreness, but the problem reappeared both times.

Nowitzki had hoped to delay the operation but team doctors said it was better to get it done sooner.