Defending champions Egypt have started preps to defend their Africa-Zone V basketball championship title. The North African basketball giants under the tutelage of their new Serbian head coach Zeljko Zecevic have named a 16-man team for a ten-day training camp which starts today.

After the training camp, Zecevic is expected to name his final 12-man team for the championship. Just like in 2007, Rwanda is hosting this year’s championship which runs from February 23-March 1.

After a deserved second spot finish in 2007, Rwanda has stepped up training as it targets an even better show this year.

A 16-man provisional team comprising of two foreign based players Eric Kaijuka (USA) and Miller Mathieu (Europe) is undergoing two daily training sessions at Amahoro Indoor Stadium under the guidance of Kavedzija Veceslav.

Rwanda’s basketball governing body (Ferwaba) also expects the likes of Hamza Ruhezamihigo (Canada) and Robert Stanley Thomson (Romania), Wilfred Nyandwi (USA) and Manix Aurianthal (Canada) to join camp very soon.

Ruhezamihigo and Thomson were very instrumental in helping Rwanda qualify for her first ever Afro-basket competition in Angola after her second spot finish in Zone V.

Besides Egypt and Rwanda, the qualifiers, to be staged at Kigali’s newly refurbished Amahoro indoor stadium are also expected to attract Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Uganda, Sudan and Tanzania among others.

Egypt’s provisional team: Ramy Gunady, Wael Badr, Mohannad El-Sabbagh, Mohamed Hosny, Sheriff Gunady, Tamer Mostafa, Haitham Said, Mostafa Meshaal, Haitham El Saharty, Hussainy Samir, Ibrahim Ramy, Haitham Kamel, Mostafa Shaawat, Mohamed Khorshed, Tarek El-Ghannam and Mohammed Adly.

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