Hoops off to Italy

•National team to continue preparations in Milan THE national men’s senior basketball team will have their final training camp in Italy ahead of next month’s Fiba-Afrobasket competition in Libya. The contingent, which includes 14 players, two coaches, a physio and two officials, jets out tomorrow evening and is expected to touch down in Milan on Sunday. During it’s seven-day stay in Italy, the team under the watchful eyes of Coach Kavedzija Vaceslav will play trial games against two select sides from Milan and Udineze before rounding off their training camp with tricky games against the Italian and Turkish national teams. This year, Rwanda is making a second appearance in the continent’s biggest basketball competition which dates back in 1962. The country, drawn alongside Libya’s D’Tigers, Cape Verde and 1965 champions Morocco in Group C opens her campaign on August 5 against Morocco. Reigning champions Angola are also in Milan where they will play build-up games against Turkey (July 28) and Canada (July 29). The nine-time record champions have dropped two of their star players Vladimiro Ricardino and Joaquim da Mata due to injury. Angola is seeded in Group B alongside Mali, Egypt and Mozambique. The coveted competition will run from August 05 to 15. Ends

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Hoops off to Italy