Rwanda’s basketball fraternity mourns the death of Jean de Dieu Nizeyimana. He passed away Tuesday night at King Faysal hospital.

The assistant National basketball coach and BUG coach collapsed on Monday evening at Lycee de Kigali moments after taking his club through training session.

The national basketball federation president Fidele Rutagarama said that Nizeyimana collapsed after hitting his forehead on the driving wheel of his car.

It is said that after this incident, the 40-year old collapsed and was quickly rushed to King Faysal where he was placed under intensive care before passing away at 11:30pm on Tuesday.

According to Rutagarama, the deceased was rushed to hospital where doctors established that he had a poor blood circulation and that this is believed to be the cause of his death.

This is a very big loss,” Ferwaba president Fidele Rutagarama mourned yesterday.

"Nizeyimana is one person who will be dearly missed by everybody who knew him. He was a big part of Rwanda’s basketball and it will be very hard to replace him,” he said.

Besides his national team duties, Nizeyimana has for a long time been attached to one of the league’s top clubs Basketball United Generation (BUG) formerly referred to as Kigali City Basketball Club (KCBC).

APR’s Cliff Owuor was shocked after hearing the sad news. He said, "It is a big loss for his family, club, Rwandan basketball and to the basketball fraternity”.

"He had done a lot for Rwandan basketball and still had a lot of plans for the sport,” Owuor said.

BUG’s vice president Richard Nyirishema said that Nizeyimana had been ill for a while. He said that first traces of this illness were witnesses a few days before the team’s departure to Angola for the Afro-basket competitions.

"He collapsed days before the team’s departure but quickly got back to his feet after getting proper medication,” Nyirishema said.

  "It is a tragedy. He had done a lot for BUG and Rwandan basketball at large. In fact, he was getting prepared for his masters’ graduation in South Africa,” Nyirishema continued.

NIZEYIMANA FACT FILE

BORN: 1967

PLACE OF BIRTH : Southern Province (Former Mabuye Sector in Ruhango district)

SCHOOL ATTENDED: Petit Seminary Ndera and completed high school at EPA in Kigali.

University Education 
He studied his university in Ivory Coast and Cameroon where he attained degrees in Physical education and completed his Masters in the same studies in South Africa in 2004 where he also had a coaching stint.

Career
-Physical Education Head lecturer -KIE

- Sports director - KIST

- Player/Coach of Basketball United Generation)-1997

Achievements
-He was the brain behind the arrival of Hamza Ruhezamihigo, Robert Thomson and Raoul Mballa on the Rwandan basketball national team.

-He is also credited for steering Rwanda to her first ever African Nations basketball championship that was staged in Angola.

Family
He is survived by a wife and three children.

Ends