Being in sports goes beyond just learning new physical skills, this is believed to be an area where one gets to develop better ways to cope with the highs and lows of life.

For Patrick Habiyaremye, he insists, including this vital area in his teaching was crucial to the young basketball players he trains.

The 31-year-old, who is a basketball player and a coach, felt like transitioning his basketball skills to the young ones was just not enough, hence incorporating life skills so he could produce complete athletes who are informed beyond the world of sport.

"I decided to start a basketball coaching programme focusing on teaching the kids not only basketball but also on how to deal with issues that affect them in society, such as need for moral uprightness and social hazards that affect their health,” Habiyaremye told Weekend Sport.

"Encouraging our youngsters to concentrate on their academic education is an important part of our basketball training.”

Known as Elite Sports Basketball Rwanda, the initiative launched in 2014 with a mission to equip youngsters – between the age of four and 23 – with life skills and basketball fundamentals.

According to Habiyaremye, the idea surfaced after realising that basketball in Rwanda was at its greatest peak with many competitions being organized at international level.

This, he says, has made young basketball players believe in their talent.

"As I continue to pursue basketball development for the youth in my community, I always remind them to have a personal drive and work hard in order to achieve the desired level of success,” he says.

The important aspect of all this, Habiyaremye further noted, he anticipates influencing the youth to be positive catalysts of change and transformation to their community and country through the game of basketball.

Sneak peek into his own career

Habiyaremye is a basketball player, coach and founder of Elite Sports Basketball. Presently, he also doubles as assistant coach of the U-16 and U-18 men’s national teams.

Throughout his senior basketball career, he has played for Kigali Basketball Club, Patriots and Rwanda Energy Group, and at the moment plays for Tigers Basketball in the topflight league.

He also previously featured for Ugandan side UCU Canons while he pursued his university studies in Uganda.

His passion in sports, and basketball in particular, started while he was in high-school at Lycée de Kigali, a school with a rich history and background in sports development.

"This is where I developed my passion for basketball. I was inspired by watching some of the best basketball players at the time and that propelled me to see basketball as my favorite sport,” he recalls.

Besides basketball, he also works with Compassion International – a humanitarian nonprofit – in the administrative field.

He holds an MBA degree in Human Resource Management and says he looks forward to undertaking project management and organizational leadership courses to acquire more skills.

As a basketball coach, Habiyaremye plans of training more youngsters who will, in the future, be key players for the national teams and also take their talents to more competitive leagues.

Meanwhile, he singles out lack of infrastructure and equipment as the biggest challenge hindering his ambitions to reach out to youngsters.