Aristide Mugabe, the captain of Patriots basketball club, has urged his teammates to be confident and put teamwork first if they are to qualify for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2020.
The Eastern Division of the second and final round – also known as Group H – qualifiers start on Tuesday, December 17, and will run through December 22 at Kigali Arena.
In an interview with Times Sport on Wednesday, Mugabe, 31, challenged his teammates that "the mission is not going to be easy” but if they work hard and fight together, he believed they will prevail and secure one of the three tickets that are up for grabs.
"We are motivated and determined to do well, and, if we can win our opening game, it would give us more confidence going into the remaining fixtures,” he said.
The Rwandan champions will start the quest on Tuesday against Tanzania’s JTK, a side they beat 79-65 in the first round qualifiers in October. After their opener, Patriots will face UNZA Pacers of Tanzania the next day before wrapping their group campaign against GNBC from Madagascar on December 19.
The Eastern Division qualifiers comprises eight teams, which have been split into two groups – Pool A and Pool B – of four teams. The best two from each group will advance to the semi-finals, while the bottom two will automatically exit the competition.
The Patriots are part of Pool A, with the second group comprising KPA (Kenya), Cobra (South Sudan), City Oilers (Uganda) and Ferroviario de Maputo of Mozambique.
Mugabe further noted: "We are in a tough group, but I have confidence in my teammates and our ability to compete and win against anyone. Also, we are representing the country and that adds extra meaning to our mission.”
Patriots advanced to the final round of the BAL qualifiers after finishing top of Group D where they won all their four games in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The two-time reigning champions have since beefed up the squad with a number of signings, including the recent arrival of Canadian Jean Victor Mukama and U.S.-born A’Darius Lamar Pegue.
Full Squad: Sedar Sagamba, Dieudonné Ndizeye, Steven Hagumintwari, Ally Ruzigande, Kenneth Gasana, Aristide Mugabe, Junior Kasongo, Sanny Munyandamutsa, Didier Ishimwe, Michael Makiadi, Guibert Nijimbere, George Wilbert JR Blakeney, A’Darius Lamar Pegue and Jean-Victor Mukama.