Rwanda basketball coach relishing stiff AfroBasket challenge ahead
Rwanda basketball have mountain to climb
JOHANNESBURG, May 3 (ANA) – New Rwanda men’s basketball coach Cheikh Sarr will hope he has not inherited a sinking ship, as his struggling side prepare for the upcoming AfroBasket (African Basketball Championship) as host nation.
Senegal’s Sarr was last month confirmed as the coach of the 2021 AfroBasket hosts Rwanda, after they lost five of there six matches in the qualifiers for the competition.
The 30th edition of the 16-nation AfroBasket will take place in the Rwandan capital Kigali from August 24 to September 5, and Sarr has become the team’s third coach in the last six months after the departure of Vladimir Bosnjak in November. The Senegalese has replaced interim coach Henry Mwinuka.
And although Sarr has only been officially named the Rwandans’ coach recently, he worked closely with Mwinuka in the second window of the AfroBasket qualifiers in February in Monastir, Tunisia.
Rwanda lost all three matches in November’s first round of the qualifiers held in their backyard after defeats to Nigeria, South Sudan and Mali, but what Sarr saw in Monastir gives him hope of a positive campaign in August.
“The Monastir trip was a good experience and helped me have a better understanding of the team’s overall competencies,” Sarr told Fiba.basketball.
“I found an energetic, engaging, and disciplined team, displaying respect for the team’s rules. The team improved comparatively to the first round in Kigali as they played together.”
So, what’s the next step? How can Sarr make a difference?
“They need to be able to finish the plays, they need consistency, and have more sense of urgency,” Sarr replied.
Very few saw Sarr’s appointment coming, but the country’s Basketball Federation (Ferwaba) was on the lookout.
“This unconditional trust is doubling my self-motivation, it is pushing me to go an extra mile for the team. I am honored [for the opportunity of coaching Rwanda]. The pressure is there, I feel it, but, someway, it’s a positive pressure,” Sarr said. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman