The senior national basketball team will train in Egypt for one week ahead of this year’s 27th African basketball championships scheduled for August 20-31 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

The team will depart on August 1 and will train in Egypt before proceeding to Senegal to take part in a two-day tournament, which will be organised by Senegalese Basketball Federation as part of their preparations for the Afro-basket meet.

"We have planned for a one-week training camp in Egypt and also compete in the Senegal tournament, which will come a week before the African Cup, it is good that the team will have enough warm-up matches,” said Rwanda Basketball Federation president Desire Mugwiza.

He added, "All that teams that will be in the Afro-basket competition, are invited (for the Senegal tournament) and for us we are ready because we need more competition before taking part in Africa’s biggest tournament.” 

Meanwhile, the team, which is made up of only locally-based players, lost their second game in the Mozambique 38th independence anniversary tournament.

Rwanda lost to hosts Mozambique 70-67 in the first game on Monday before losing the second game 70-57 on Tuesday. The third and final game was scheduled for Wednesday night in Maputo.

At the Afro-basket championships, Rwanda is drawn in Group C along with Morocco, debutants Burkina Faso and defending champions Tunisia.

Rwanda will open her campaign against Burkina Faso on August 21, face Morocco two days later, before winding up her quest against Tunisia on August 25.