Rwanda national basketball federation has officially signed Senegalese coach Cheikh Sarr as head coach of the men and women national teams on a one-year deal.

He replaces Serbian Vladimir Bosnjak who stepped down from coaching the national team in December 2020.

The 53-year-old will lead the men’s national team as it heads into the Afrobasket final tournament set to take place from August 24 to September 5 in Kigali.

He is also expected to coach the national women's basketball team during the Afrobasket qualifiers for women which may tentatively take place in June or July in a yet-to-be-decided venue.

"Ferwaba (Rwanda Basketball Federation) is excited to welcome Dr. Cheikh Sarr to the Rwanda national team coaching staff,” read a statement from the federation on Monday, April 26.

 "We are extremely delighted to have him on board,” it continued, describing him as "extremely passionate” about basketball, with an extensive background to show for this.

Sarr holds a Ph.D. in Psychology of Sports and a Masters in Sports Educations amongst numerous educational accreditations.

The Senegalese have a good CV which includes among others having coached the Senegal national team, leading them to the second round of the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup for the first time in 2014.