Patriots basketball team boosting stocks ahead of Basketball Africa League

By ANA Sports Last updated Apr 22, 2021

Rwandan basketball team boosting stocks before BAL

File pic. South Africa – Cape Town – 30 March 2021 – Nabihl Liebenberg, 21 from Paarl received a basketball contract to play for the Purple Jags in the M3BA league in the US. He is currently playing for the Northern Cape Zebras in the Basketball National League. Pictures: Brendan Magaar/African News Agency(ANA)

JOHANNESBURG, April 20 (ANA) – Patriots Basketball Club from Rwanda are on a mission to boost their stocks ahead of the first Basketball Africa League (Bal) starting next month.

Rwandan rising start Jean Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza, Elie Kaje and Kenneth Gasana have become the Patriots’ latest additions.

Nshobozwabyosenumukiza last played for local rivals REG in the 2019 edition of the AfroLeague qualifiers, while Gasana had his Patriots’ contract renewed.

The Bal will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from May 16 to 30 with 12 clubs from 12 African countries vying for the crown of the newly-launched competition, a partnership between World Basketball and the National Basketball Association (NBA) of the USA.

Both Nshobozwabyosenumukiza and Gasana are members of the Rwandan national team who will host this year’s AfroBasket (African Basketball Championship) in August and September.

In another move, Patriots BC named Bernard ‘Ben’ Oluoch as the team’s head coach.

The Kenyan-born Oluoch was promoted from his assistant coach role, replacing American Murray Dean, who powered Patriots to the 2020 Rwandan League title last October.

Oluoch becomes the Patriots’ third head coach since the start of the Bal qualifiers back in October 2019. Kenyan Carey Francis Odhiambo was the man in charge of Patriots, who closed their Bal qualifiers with a resounding 9-0 record.

Earlier in the year, the Rwandan champions signed Kenyan international Tom ‘Bush’ Wamukota, a 2.13m centre who has become of the players to watch out in the Kigali showdown.

As the Patriots’s new signings process continues, the following are the players available for the Bal: Aristide Mugabe,Jean Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza, Sedar Sagamba, Dieudonne Ndayisaba, Steven Havungintwari, Guibert Nijimbere, Elie Kaje, Jean Paul Ndoli, Bush Wamukota, Junior Kasongo, Joseph Bukuru, Didier Ishimwe, Sano Gasana and Leonard Hitayezu. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman