REG Vs Inspired Generation 6pm

APR Vs Kepler 8pm

The Rwanda Basketball League is back on Friday, February 9, with interesting matchups.

Kepler Basketball club will begin their topflight basketball adventure ahead of their test against defending champions APR at Lycée de Kigali Gymnasium in the second game of the opening day of the 2023 Rwanda Basketball League.

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Former NBA coach Mazen Trakh is back for his second season on the army side’s dugout where he will go up against Kepler under new head coach Mandy Juruni, another household name that could bring a challenge in Rwandan basketball just like he did with Ugandan giants City Oilers.

Ordinarily, Trakh has a relatively better advantage against Juruni, having led APR to a championship in 2023, ending a 14-year stint, but Kepler is not short of the zeal to pursue the championship either.

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APR’s roster is beefed up with the likes of star point guard Adonis Filer, former Basketball Africa League (BAL) star Michael Dixon among key additions expected to steal the show throughout the campaign.

Kepler, on the other side, have not announced any major signings, but the group recently signed veteran point guard and former national team captain Aristide Mugabe whose experience and skill will be useful on and off the court.

In a related development, local powerhouse REG basketball club will go head to head with second division champions Inspired Generation.

The game will mark the league’s return. The season will conclude in September.

Ten teams will feature a total of 90 games in the regular season before the top four teams head to the playoffs.

The league’s top four will fight for the final spot in the best-of-five semi-final series. The best two will play in the best-of-seven finals.