Experienced shooting guard Kenneth Gasana says the upcoming Afrobasket tournament will be a tough one, but noted that he, along with other players on the national basketball team are ready for the challenge.
The showpiece is set to take place in Kigali from August 24 to September 5, bringing together 16 nations from across Africa, competing to establish who will be the continental champion.
Speaking in an interview with media this week, Gasana, 36, who is the most experienced player on Rwanda’s Afrobasket-bound squad, said Group A in which the Rwanda was placed, along with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Cape Verde will be a tough one.
"They are going to be bringing their best players, so we just have to be ready and be sure of what we can do, and we will be okay,” he said.
He noted that the Rwanda national team has a lot of youthful players, who are ready to learn and fight to make the country proud.
"I think that’s important, especially coming to this big competition,” he said.
He also reflected on the impact of the fact that the competition will be played on Rwandan soil.
"We know we’ve got the people behind our back, here. So, we’ve got a little bit of motivation to make good results. Thank you for supporting us and we’re ready,” he said.
Gasana has featured in four of the five times that the country has participated in the Afrobasket competition.
Meanwhile, as the competition tipoff is getting closer, teams are starting to arrive in the country.
On Tuesday, August 10, South Sudan jetted-in, and more teams are expected to arrive soon, for example Central Africa Republic is expected on August 11, Egypt on August 16, Kenya on August 17 and Tunisia on August 19.
The Afrobasket tournament will be played under serious Covid-19 preventive guidelines.
The teams that will participate:
Group A: Rwanda, Angola, DR Congo and Cape Verde
Group B: Tunisia, Egypt, Central Africa Republic and Guinea
Group C: Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Kenya
Group D: Senegal, Cameroon, South Sudan and Uganda.