The local basketball governing body (Ferwaba) expects foreign-based players, including first-timer Pierre Thierry Vandriessche to join the national team’s camp on February 2, as preparations for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers take shape. Vandriessche, 22, is a France-based Combo guard who plays for Ouest Lyonnais Basketball Club. Times Sport understands that he was born to a Rwandan mother and a French father. Altogether 5 foreign-based players have been summoned by head coach Cheikh Sarr as part of a provisional squad that also has 17 local players who are already in camp. They include: US-based Axel Mpoyo, Canada-based Ntore Habimana, France-based Pierre Thierry Vandriessche, Bahrain-based Kenny Gasana, and Belgium-based William Robeyns. After one week, Sarr is expected to drop five players and will depart with a group of 15 to Dakar, Senegal where they will play a friendly game with Egypt, before officially starting their World Cup qualifiers journey on February 25 through 27. Rwanda is in Group B of the qualifiers along with Tunisia, Cameroon and South Sudann.
