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U-18 national boys team look set to take on the hosts Mozambique in their opening fixture of the Africa Youth Championships that kick off this Thursday the 16^th August 2012.  The team left for Maputo-Mozambique on Sunday evening for the competition that runs from August 16-25.

“It will not be easy for the players because they are only making their first appearance but they need not to use that as an excuse, but rather try to perform to the best of their ability, which I’m sure they are capable of,” Amanovic said before the team’s departure.

Over 20 teams including Egypt, Tunisia, and Nigeria will take part in the two-week tournament, and Rwanda Basketball Federation Secretary General Richard Mutabazi thinks the competition will give them a good measure of the country’s standing against the rest of the continent in terms of hoops youth development.

Rwanda qualified for the continental championship after defeating Kenya in two-nation Zone V qualifiers played in Kigali last month. The winner of the African championships will qualify to represent Africa at the U-19 world Youth championships to be held next year. Among the favorites to win it are Tunisia, Egypt, Angola and the hosts Mozambique

 

 

 

 

 

The U.S. men’s basketball squad, easily won its first game, beating France 98-71.

Kevin Durant led the United States, made up of NBA all-stars and the college player of the year, with 22 points. Kevin Love scored 14 points and Kobe Bryant had 10 for the U.S., which next plays Tunisia on Tuesday.

“We still have a lot of work to do, but that’s the beauty of it all,” Durant said. “We’re all coming together in such a short time. We’re having fun playing. Guys don’t worry about points, rebounds, assists; we just want to play to win.”

Coach Mike Krzyzewski was pleased with his team’s effort.

“I thought we did a good job defensively,” he said. “We share the ball. We assisted on 27 of our 31 buckets and we rebounded the ball very well.”

Many are hoping to see how this year’s American squad stacks up to the legacy of the 1992 U.S. basketball team, known as the Dream Team, which trounced the competition at the Barcelona Games by an average of more than 40 points. Some analysts called it the greatest sports team ever assembled.

There was a surprise for the U.S. gymnastics team when Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas finished ahead of world champion Jordyn Wieber in the all-around competition qualifying round. Each country can only send two athletes to the final so despite Wieber being fourth overall, she was eliminated from the individual competition. She will still compete for the U.S. in the team phase.

The United States topped Russia 181.863 to 180.429 in qualifying. The top eight countries will compete in the team finals Tuesday night.

The U.S. team, dubbed the “Fab Five,” carries the pressure of bringing home America’s first team gold medal since the “Magnificent Seven” did so at the 1996 games. But they must contend with the defending Olympic champion China, as well as Romania and Russia.

 

Rwanda’s U-18 team is leaving no stone unturned to enable them stage a successful Zone Five U-18 qualifiers from July 17-22 in Kigali.

 

The national team is leaving for Burundi’s town Bujumbura to fine tune and take part in a regional tournament dubbed as Great Lakes regional basketball tournament which is also set to attract teams from Burundi and DRC.

 

The Rwanda basketball federation president Desire Mugwiza said on Friday that Rwanda will use the event to access the level of the players before head coach Nenad Amanovic desires his final team for the zonal qualifiers.

 

“We want to test our players in this tournament because we believe there is great opposition and challenge that can help them get used ahead of the zonal qualifiers,”

 

In a related development, the local basketball federation has been boasted with a Rwf. 120million package to organise the zonal qualifiers competition.

 

The week-long competition will attract six teams which include Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan and Ethiopia.

 

The men’s team will be bolstered by foreign based players who jet in next month and they include: Adronis Rwabigwi, Ngenzi Eric, Manzi Danny, Karenzi Ronald, Twagirayezu Patrice, Ishimwe Norbert, Rutare Jonathan, and Shyaka Scifon.

 

 

Rwanda’s U-18 team is leaving no stone unturned to enable them stage a successful Zone Five U-18 qualifiers from July 17-22 in Kigali.

The national team is leaving for Burundi’s town Bujumbura to fine tune and take part in a regional tournament dubbed as Great Lakes regional basketball tournament which is also set to attract teams from Burundi and DRC.

The Rwanda basketball federation president Desire Mugwiza said on Friday that Rwanda will use the event to access the level of the players before head coach Nenad Amanovic desires his final team for the zonal qualifiers.

“We want to test our players in this tournament because we believe there is great opposition and challenge that can help them get used ahead of the zonal qualifiers,”

In a related development, the local basketball federation has been boasted with a Rwf. 120million package to organise the zonal qualifiers competition.

The week-long competition will attract six teams which include Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan and Ethiopia.

The men’s team will be bolstered by foreign based players who jet in next month and they include: Adronis Rwabigwi, Ngenzi Eric, Manzi Danny, Karenzi Ronald, Twagirayezu Patrice, Ishimwe Norbert, Rutare Jonathan, and Shyaka Scifon.

 

 

Thirty players national basketball team players will this week get involved in intensive training in preparation for the Zone five qualifiers scheduled to be held in Kigali from July 17-22, 2012.

The new basketball federation team led by Secretary General Richard Mutabazi confirmed the development on Thursday.

The team will train three times a day starting this Friday at Amahoro indoor stadium until mid June when they enter into a two-week residential camp to fine tune ahead of the tournament’s kick off.

“Most of the players who will compose the national team are mainly students from local clubs but the team will as well be boasted by the experienced players who formed part of the 2010 U-18 team and are now pursuing their careers in the U.S,”

The week long competition will attract eight teams which include Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Burundi. The tourney will also feature a women’s competition.

 

Rwanda finished in 6th position last time around despite being hosts but with Egypt having qualified Coach Nenad Amanovic will fancy his team’s chances.

 

 

 

 

Preparations of Gisembe basketball tournament organized by Espoir Basketball club in memory of Emmanuel Ntarugera “Gisembe” are in high gear. The tournament will kick off on 18^th January this year in Kigali.

Emmanuel Ntarugera ‘Gisembe’ was two meters tall and among the best players of Espoir Basketball Club.

He was killed during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. In an interview with the Executive Secretary of Espoir BC Richard Mutabazi, he said that they invited foreign clubs to participate in the annual tournament that will be taking place for the 5^th time.

 

The invited clubs include one from Burundi and another one from Congo. Teams from Burundi are; New stars, Muzinga and Urunani.  But Urunani the defending champion of this competition confirmed that they won’t be able to participate because the players were tired after taking part in the African basketball championship.

 

Virunga team from the Democratic Republic of Congo hasn’t yet confirmed its participation.

Rwandan clubs have not yet been invited because they want to first confirm with foreign clubs that will be attending in the one day competition.

Mutabazi says they hope for the games to be successful because preparations are so far going well.

Gisembe Memorial competition started in 1996 and Espoir the organizers of the competition won the first trophy. APR BBC has also taken it several times ever since it began.