William Kiah Perry is a new name in Rwandan Basketball and one to watch when the 2022/2023 League season kicks off Friday, January 13. The 29-year-old will be looking to light up the league in the colors of Kigali Titans, a club that will be playing in the topflight for the first time, having earned promotion from Division 2 last season. He brings vast experience garnered from clubs for which he has previously featured including Mozambican side, Ferroviário da Beira, Lenoir-Rhyne College in his native USA, Ovarense Dolce Vita in Portugal and Akademic Bultex in Bulgaria among others. Weekend Sport caught up with the Titans’ new signing on how he found himself at the club and his ambitions in the league. Excerpts: Welcome to Rwanda, William. How did you find yourself here? Junior [Titans’ boss Eugene Rubonera] called me when I was playing in the BAL qualifiers in Johannesburg. He said, “If you want, come play the first month of the season in Rwanda before you go back to play in the BAL. Can you?” I said I can do it. We decided to do it. How long is the contract you signed for? I have a one-month contract. We don't have a full season contract yet, but we agreed verbally that I would come back after the BAL. How influential do you think your BAL experience will be in Kigali Titans' fortunes? Well, hopefully I can be like a driving force here and help the team win. You know it's not just me that played at the BAL. There are some other guys here in the Rwandan league who played the BAL too. So I'm not the only one of course, but for sure the team (Kigali Titans) is new to the league and I want to help them win as many games as possible with my experience. You have trained with the team now for some days. How have you found the players’ level? Honestly, I was surprised how good their level is. I didn't know much about Rwanda basketball. All I knew was like the Patriots and REG (Rwanda Energy Group) because we played against them in the BAL. So, I was like maybe the other teams are not as strong. But I think Junior has built a really good team. So, let's see. The league is here, what are your targets for the team and for you as a player? I'm a team guy. I just want to help the team win. So I would say the main target for me is to win as many games as possible. I think the team wants to go to the playoff. That's the goal. Describe yourself as a player. What are some of your attributes on the court? I'm a really good shooter after the dribble. I'm a good pick and roll player, and I think I'm a leader. I'm good at leading the team...I am a winner. I think the teams that I go to usually win games. So, it’s just that. I have a lot of weaknesses too, but I play to my strengths.
