THREE foreign based Rwandan players have added steel to the national ladies basketball team ahead of the Africa Zone-5 basketball championship qualifiers slated for February 23-1 March in Kigali, Rwanda.

The trio includes: Dominique Mwiza and Jamie Isaro from the United States of America and Mireille Karangwa from Portugal.

According to Innocent Karuhije, technical advisor to the Rwanda basketball federation (Ferwaba), the trio is part of six foreign based players who have been summoned to the provisional team.

"Already, three have arrived and they are on a very good level. We are now waiting for the other lot to arrive,” he said. The remaining three players will come from Canada, France and the US respectively.

In 2007, Rwanda was not up to the task after a dull show in the three-nation competition. The country finished third behind Burundi and eventual champions Kenya.

However, after a promising performance from APR in last year’s African Club championships that were held in Kenya, Karuhije expects a lot from the national side in the Zone-5 tournament.

"We have a mixture of quality and experience in the team so I’m sure we shall do well in the championship,” the official said.

The championship will be staged at the newly refurbished Amahoro Indoor Stadium and is expected to attract a host of countries ranging from Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Eritrea, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda and Rwanda.

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