AFTER guiding the APR ladies volleyball team to a convincing 6th spot finish in last month’s African Women Club volleyball championships in Kenya, Paul Bitok has now turned his focus on the male side who are also gearing up for next week’s African Men Club Championships in Cairo, Egypt.

The APR men’s team is currently training at Amahoro’s indoor stadium and Bitok who is Jean Luc Ndayikengurukiye’s assistant yesterday said that he was optimistic the team would rise to the challenge.

"The team has been training hard for the last one month and the guys look good,” the Kenyan said.

About 24 clubs have shown interest in the week-long event which throws off next Tuesday. The top two sides at the end of the tournament qualify for the Volleyball World League due in Serbia, July.

Bitok, who also doubles as the head coach for the Kenya national women team was lured to the APR ladies team early this year in a bid to transform the club into a volleyball power house.

"The guy’s profile speaks for its self. He has vast coaching experience and we are positive that he will lead APR and Rwandan volleyball in general to greater heights,” the club’s manager Augustin Munyandamutsa was noted as saying.

Bitok is one of the region’s top volleyball coaches. In 2005, Bitok led Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) to a third spot finish in the Africa Club Championship before guiding them to the African title the following year.

Ends