Joe Apu
Ahead of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers First Round to be staged in Bamako, Mali from February 23-25, the Rwanda national basketball team coach Moise Mutokambali has named seven professional players in the provisional team to battle Nigeria, Uganda and Mali.
According to newtimes.co.rw, the seven pros join the 17 home-based players that Mutokambali selected last month and have been training twice a week since mid-January at Amahoro Indoor Stadium.
The pros are; Kenneth Gasana (Club Tanger, Maroc), Dan Manzi (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, USA), Jean Paul Adonis Rwabigwi (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, USA) Patrice Twagirayezu (Covenant College Carolina, USA), Hamza Ruhezamihigo (Concordia Montreal, Canada), Bradley Cameron (Gulf Coast College South Bend Indiana, USA), Kevin Ndahiro (University Deland-FL, USA).
According to Mutokambali, the professional players will join their local-based teammates in camp on February 8.
“We will start residential training camp after the Heroes’ Day tournament,” Mutokambali said, adding that, “Hamza (Ruhezamihigo) and Kenneth (Gasana) have confirmed they will be in the country by the time we start camp but other we’re still waiting for the others to confirm.”
The top three teams from each group advance to the second round, where the 12 qualified teams are divided in two groups (E and F) of 6 teams each.
The first legs of the second-round tournament take place during the fourth window (Sept. 10-18), with the return legs to follow during the fifth window (Nov. 26-Dec. 4) and the sixth window (Feb. 20-28, 2019).