ThursdayMenEspoir vs REG 4pmPatriots vs APR 6pmWomenUbumwe vs The Hoops 2pm Rwanda national basketball league archrivals Espoir and Rwanda Energy Group (REG) will face off in Heroes Cup tournament on Thursday at Amahoro Indoor Stadium. The game starts at 4p.m. Reigning league champions REG will go into the game seeking revenge for their heaviest league defeat, 100-77, at the hands of former winner Espoir on January 13. Both teams have so far registered one victory in the tournament. Espoir stunned Patriots last Saturday while REG overcame APR the following day. “Our target is to win the tournament, but of course focusing on one game at a time. We have three important fixtures; against Espoir on Thursday (today), IPRC-South on Saturday and Patriots on Sunday,” REG coach Cyrille Kalima said on Wednesday. REG will be inspired by their star players Kami Kabange, Bienvenu Ngandu, Walter Nkurunziza, Elie Kaje and Olivier Shyaka, while Espoir’s quest will be spearheaded by the likes of Regis Gatoto, Pascal Niyonkuru and 17-year old Armel Sangwe. The men’s category has five teams, all playing against each other on a round-robin basis after which the top two teams will face off to determine the champions. Defending champions IPRC-Kigali did not take part in the competition. In another game, Henry Mwinuke’s Patriots will come up against Aime Karim Nkusi’s APR. In the women’s fray, holders Ubumwe and last year’s finalists The Hoops Rwanda will lock horns in the first game of the day. Espoir return to court on Friday night against APR, while REG will take on IPRC-South on Saturday evening. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
