For the first time ever, Tigers Basketball Club are set to take part in the basketball league playoffs.

Widely looked at as underdogs in comparison to the teams with which they will be rubbing shoulders including The Patriots, APR and Rwanda Energy Group (REG); the Tigers go into the showpiece with pundits not rating them to perform well.

Founded only about 3 years ago, the team has swiftly built itself for the big stage, but what can they really do at such a level?

On Friday, August 26, they will start their playoffs campaign playing against local giants The Patriots, the team that topped the league table after the two rounds that preceded the playoffs.

Tigers BBC finished in fourth place with 39 points, 7 behind the Patriots.

The playoff encounter between the two is anticipated to be a David vs Goliath affair, but here are a couple of things that you should know about Tigers BBC going into the tie.

Club was founded to promote talent

The team was formed in 2019, and according to Francis Shyaka, its President, the aim of founding it was to promote the talents of youngsters who would find it difficult to play in the prominent local clubs.

Shyaka says they want to build a team made up of youngsters, 80 percent of whom should be Rwandans.

Never defeated the top three clubs

Despite performing well against smaller clubs this season, Tigers BBC struggled against The Patriots, REG and APR – the three top clubs in the league.

They lost all the 6 games that they played against the top clubs. They were beaten by REG 87-35 and 97-70 in the first and second round respectively, lost to APR 57-73 and 60-90, and the same happened when they met with The Patriots which also completed a double over them – 59-55 and 87-65.

Key players

Tigers BBC has some players to look out for when the playoffs tip off. These include Adrian Breitlauch, a German power forward who makes no small contribution to the team, especially in terms of scoring.

For instance, in a game against IPRC-Huye this year, the 28-year-old scored 31 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.

Small-forward Muteba Tresor, 32, is also a key player.

In a game that they lost to the Patriots 65-87, he scored a game high 17 points.