The arrival of America’s NBA coaches in Rwanda this week under the Giants of Africa programme is expected to help increase basketball popularity among youth, the Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA) secretary general Richard Mutabazi, has said.

In an interview with Saturday Sport, Mutabazi said that learning from some of the world’s best coaches has brought another perspective to the game of basketball across the country.

While several young players were playing basketball for leisure or as part of the school curriculum, Giants of Africa has showed them that basketball changes lives for the best.

"It has created youth interest in the game, and has provided life skills that go along with it. It’s a sign of hope that the Rwandan youth can do better and reach the highest level,” explained Mutabazi.

There is already an existing youth programme that boasts of 500 young players from across the country, half of them girls, under the close supervision of local coaches led by the national team head coach.

According to the Giants of Africa proprietor, Masai Ujiri, also the general manager of NBA franchise side Toronto Raptors, the programme will be an annual event in Rwanda alongside his home country Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.

Ujiri said, "We shall come back to Rwanda. That is what we are committed to because we want to be consistent.”

Rwanda recently made debut appearances at the FIBA Afrobasket U-16 tournaments in both the girls’ and boys’ categories held in Madagascar and Mali in July and August respectively, and Mutabazi believes this is the beginning of a successful generation ahead.

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