Patriots BBC team which won last year’s edition of the FERWABA pre-season tournament after edging REG in the finals
Twelve clubs have confirmed participation in the 2017 FERWABA Pre-season tournament slated for November 17 to 26 at Amahoro and Rafiki basketball courts.
According to Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA), eight teams in men’s category and four clubs in the women category have been confirmed to take part in the ten-day event.
The men’s category is composed of defending champions Patriot basketball club, 2015 champions IPRC-South basketball club, 30 Plus basketball club, APR basketball club, Espoir basketball club, IPRC-Kigali basketball club, reigning league champions Rwanda Energy Group (REG) and UGB basketball club.
The women category will be comprised of IPRC-South basketball club, APR basketball club, The Hoops Rwanda and Ubumwe basketball clubs respectively.
The FERWABA Pre-season tournament is staged to enable clubs prepare for the upcoming 2017/18 National Basketball League season scheduled to start on December 1, 2017.
Last year’s edition of the FERWABA pre-season tournament was won by Patriots BBC after edging REG 76-75 in the finals. In the third match play-off, Espoir BBC defeated APR BBC 71-58.
Last month, Patriots BBC missed out on a place to represent Rwanda at next year’s Africa Club Championship as they lost the Zone V Championship to Uganda’s City Oilers 59-86 in the finals.
Meanwhile, Rwanda national basketball regular season league champions Rwanda Energy Group (REG) have already begun preparations ahead of the 2017/18 season by beefing up their rosters with new players.
Jean Bahufite’s REG have signed two players from playoffs champions, Patriots, including Elie Kaje—the 22-year-old forward penned a two-year contract. He follows the capture of shooting guard Junior Walter Nkurunziza last month.
Former Espoir player Kaje, and Nkurunziza, both Rwandan internationals, will be of high importance to REG’s ambitions of becoming Rwanda’s dominant basketball club.
The duo also helped Patriots to win the Genocide Memorial Tournament in 2016 as well as second place at this year’s FIBA Africa Zone V Club Championship held last month in Kampala, Uganda.
Kaje was part of Espoir team that had dominated Rwandan basketball from 2012 to 2015 because the emergency of Patriots.
