PATRIOTS will begin the defence of their BK National Basketball League title against IPRC-Kigali on January 17, the local basketball body has confirmed.

There will be two games on the first day of the new season, with two former champions APR and Espoir locking horns in the opener.

"We are going to have a long season,” said Patriots skipper Aristide Mugabe in relation to his side’s engagement in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) starting in March.

"To excel in both leagues, we must be ready and I trust we will be.”

Local giants Patriots clinched their third league title last September after coming from 3-1 down to beat Rwanda Energy Group 4-3 in the playoffs finals.

Point guard Mugabe is arguably the most decorated player in local basketball, having won seven league titles in the last eight years – four with Espoir between 2012 and 2015 and three since joining Patriots late 2015.