Basketball is one of the most popular sport in Rwanda, and over the years it has produced some top players although most recently it has also relied a bit on naturalised stars, especially at the national team level.

Today, Saturday Sport profiles Pascal Rurangirwa Karekezi, one of the upcoming star players for both Espoir basketball club and the national team. The burly Point Guard has grown from a rookie to a top player in a space of six years.

Earlier days

Throughout his primary and early secondary school days, Karekezi played football and never did the idea of playing basketball cross his mind until 2008 when he was scouted by the current national team head coach Moise Mutokambali.

"I am from a football background and I never even followed basketball until 2008. I used to play football for my former school teams in different competitions. Basketball was never my thing,” Karekezi told Saturday Sport.

He noted: "Unfortunately, for all the years I spent playing football, I never won anything but when I moved into basketball, I have won several trophies in a short time. Maybe I was born to play basketball but didn’t realise it at first.”

Basketball start

The soft-spoken Karekezi, who turns 20 on December 1, officially ditched football to concentrate on basketball in early 2008 under the guidance of Mutokambali, who was then APE Rugunga school team coach.

As a rookie in the new environment, Karekezi spent the first year learning the basics of the game, and through hard work and eagerness, his fortunes turned around so fast that he went on to help the school team win the national inter-schools’ championship two years later.

In 2009, Karekezi featured for Saint Joseph Nyamirambo in the East African Post-Primary, FEASSSA Games held in Nakuru, Kenya; unfortunately they were eliminated in the preliminary stage.

Club career

The steadfast point guard played for United Generation Basketball (UGB) from 2009 to 2010 before signing for his current club, Espoir BC in 2011.

During his two-year spell with UGB, he never won any trophy and neither was he a regular in the first-team until his final days at the club, when he began to impress hence catching the attention of Espoir.

In the first season (2011) at Espoir, they finished third in the league, behind eventual champions KBC APR BC.

However, since 2012, Karekezi has helped the Nyamirambo-based side to win three consecutive league and play-offs titles as well as the 2012 Fiba/Africa Zone Five Championship title. Espoir also reached the final of the regional championships in 2013.

The 19-year-old Karekezi still has one year remaining on the current contract with Espoir but says he is happy to stay at the club for even longer.

"Espoir is more than a club, we are a family. I still have one year remaining on my contract and I will extend it when the right time comes,” he says.

National team

Karekezi featured for the U-18 national team from 2009 to 2012 in different competitions.

In 2010, he captained the team in the Africa basketball championships staged in Kigali at Amahoro indoor stadium where they finished sixth out of twelve countries.

In 2012, he also captained the same team to the Fiba/Africa Zone Five Championship title in Kigali.

But a year before (2011), he received his first call-up to the senior team but did not make the final 12-man squad for Zone Five championships.  He was also included in the provisional squads of 2012 and 2013.

In July this year, he was again named in the provisional senior team squad, and for his first time, made it to the final 12-player team that competed at the recent Fiba/Africa Zone Five Championships in Kampala, Uganda where Rwanda finished third out of five nations.

Piece of advice

Karekezi advises upcoming youngsters to be highly focused, determined, work hard and keep high discipline.

Who is Karekezi?

Born on December 1, 1994 in Kacyiru, Gasabo District, City of Kigali to François Karekezi and Beatrice Musabyimana, Rurangirwa is the first-born child from a family of four children—two boys and two girls.

He attended EPAK Kimihurura primary school before going to la Colombiere secondary school for ordinary level. He later joined APE Rugunga for A’Level majoring in Mathematics-Geography-Chemistry (MGC). He completed A level in 2010.

He is currently in third year at Mount Kenya University (Kigali branch) pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science.

The fervent youngster is a big fan of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers’ and USA international forward Lebron James.