The Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) is set to tip off on January 24, and clubs have been trying to make preparations for the title challenge. Since October when the league season was concluded, the transfer window has been ongoing and will carry on until the start of the 2025 season. ALSO READ: Major highlights that shaped Rwandan basketball in 2024 A number of clubs have been making business on and off the court, for instance, by signing new players or recruiting new management. Though the goals of the respective clubs may vary, efforts are being put into strengthening their ranks in different ways. In this article, Times Sport looks at how the clubs have prepared so far. APR APR began training in early December last year in preparation for the new season. The team will be setting its eyes on defending the title it won last year after a thrilling 4-2 finals series triumph against rivals Patriots. The army team has already made some transfer business, recruiting American point guard from rivals REG, in addition to two more players – Justin Uwitonze from REG as well, and Shaffy Habineza from United Generation (UGB). Of these, Jackson seems the readiest to hit the big stage as he has already shown what he can do in the Rwandan league, having featured for REG last season, standing out as one of their key players with his qualities including pace and aggressiveness. ALSO READ: Top trades that made impact in Rwandan basketball in 2024 On a positive note too, the team’s American guard Adonis Filer is now back, having recovered from the Achilles’ tendon injury that side-lined him for months. He suffered the injury in May during the BAL in Dakar, Senegal. Despite such good developments, questions remain regarding whether the team won’t need to replace their star point guard Isaiah Miller whom they had recruited from the NBA G-League. Miller left at the end of the 2024 season to return to the same league. In addition, APR arguably needs a big man in its squad. Last season, they depended much on Aliou Diarra, a Malian centre who is 2.06m. He played quite well with great blocks and scores, yet it can be argued that they should recruit someone who is even taller to play in order to increase their prowess against teams with big players in the BAL. Patriots So far, the Patriots’ main piece of business has been the hiring of Arnold Kwizera as the club’s new Chief Executive Officer, as well as announcing a new seven-member Board of Directors led by Chairman Clement Ndamage, who is joined by other accomplished professionals including Apollo Nkunda Mugisha, Andrew Kulayigye, Chantal Habiyakare, Chara Itoka, Kevin Mbundu, and Ida Shema Murangira. On the court, though, the Patriots have seen some negative developments as they lost their pillar coach Henry Mwinuka, one of the most respected tacticians in local basketball. Mwinuka joined Tigers Basketball Club at the end of the 2024 season. ALSO READ: Henry Mwinuka: Former Patriots coach crosses to Tigers In addition to this, their American point guard Will Perry, who shook the league last season, has also moved on to play outside of Rwanda, leaving a big gap on the team. Besides, the team also lost the formidable pair of Dieudonné Ndizeye and Steven Hagumintwari who crossed over to REG. If they are to contend for the league, the Patriots may have to dig deep, go into the transfer market in the remaining few weeks and get players – both local and international, who can challenge for the trophy. REG The team’s recruitment of star forwards Dieudonné Ndizeye and Steven Hagumintwari from Patriots was a key piece of business. Besides being quite talented, the duo has also played together for such a long time which strengthened their chemistry. Though the forwards’ department of the club seems to be strong with such players onboard, questions regarding the replacement of their point guard Antino Jackson who left for APR, stand. In addition to this, their experienced Congolese center Pitchou Manga reportedly left, which means they may be required to go to the market to look for a big man. Kepler Kepler, arguably the most ambitious basketball project in the country despite being new on the scene, has yet again showcased its intentions of being a top team. During the current transfer window, it has done some good business, key of which was the extension of the contract of their American point guard Chad Bowie who signed for one more year until the end of 2025. ALSO READ: Kepler win race to sign Turatsinze In addition, Olivier Turatsinze, another point guard joined the team from Espoir, as well as power forward Elie Kaje who switched from APR. However, on a challenging note, the team may not be able to bring back Burundian guard Guibert Nijyimbere, who is one of the best in his position in the east African region. Will they recruit someone of Nijyimbere's caliber? Times Sport understands that the team is still in the transfer business, trying to add at least one more player in a yet-to-be-known position. Fingers crossed.
