Hoops 2016/17 season to kick off on Nov. 25

The 2016/17 national basketball championship will get underway Friday, November 25, according the local hoops governing body, FERWABA. The date was approved during a general assembly held on Saturday at Amahoro National Stadium in Remera. According to the resolutions from the meeting, all the clubs are required to have both senior and junior teams. The general assembly also resolved that a pre-season tournament will start on November 12. Every club must have only two foreign players during the game, and each club is not supposed to register more than five foreign players. On top of that, each player must have a contract with their club. This season, the men’s hoops league will comprise 12 clubs, up from 10 last season after three clubs; Bank of Kigali (BK), Rwanda Energy Group (REG) and 30-Plus were given the green light by FERWABA to compete in the league. The two newly established clubs, BK and REG, had their respective requests approved during a FERWABA general assembly that took place on October 25 while Kimisagara-based 30-Plus was re-admitted back into the league after they had bowed out back in 2014. Each club has been asked to create junior teams that will have their own league format. The league champions and the winner of the playoffs will represent the country at the 2017 FIBA-Africa Zone 5 Club Championships. Patriots basketball club won the men’s regular season league title, IPRC-South claimed the playoffs trophy, while APR won the women’s league, with Ubumwe lifting the playoffs trophy for women. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Hoops 2016/17 season to kick off on Nov. 25