Kavedzija Vaceslave will lead the junior national basketball team at the forthcoming Zone V Junior championships.

Local basketball governing body (Ferwaba) Secretary General Jean Lucien Mugabo yesterday confirmed the new responsibilities for the Croatian who also doubles as the senior national team head coach.  "He has the pedigree and experience to deliver at this level,” Mugabo said. However, his assistant is yet to be named.

A source close to the federation says that over 16 local coaches have been short-listed to fill the void.  Majority of the short-listed coaches are currently under-going a 10-day clinic which is being handled by Floribert Beya Luboya; a Fiba instructor from DR. Congo.

The clinic that started on Monday at Amahoro indoor stadium has been jointly organized by Fiba-Africa and the local basketball federation.

"It is early to make conclusions but of course the clinic results will have a huge bearing on who is chosen. Vaceslave will also be given a chance to have a say (on whom he wants to work with),” Mugabo continued.

Vaceslave became Rwanda’s head coach last June replacing the late Jean de Dieu Nizeyimana (RIP).

And two months down the road, the Croatian helped Rwanda to an eighth spot finish at the 2007 Afro-basket competitions that were held in Angola.

The Zone V Junior championship is scheduled for April (dates yet to be confirmed), and Rwanda is one of the countries vying to host the event.

"We have expressed our interest in hosting the tournament and are only waiting for their response (from Fiba-Africa),” the federation’s technical advisor Innocent Karuhije stressed.

Similar to last year’s senior event, the junior competition will attract the likes of Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi and Somalia amongst others.  
The eventual winner will qualify for the Junior African Cup of Nations slated for August in Egypt.
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