Espoir depart for Zone V title defense in Bujumbura

Last year’s FIBA Africa men’s Zone V Basketball Championship winners, Espoir, leave for Bujumbura, Burundi, where they will try to defend their title. The tournament is scheduled for August 5-11. Nyamirambo-based Espoir, who won last season’s regular league title and playoff trophy unbeaten, are eying to retain the Zone V crown, according to head coach John Bahufite, who also doubles as the national team assistant coach. “The players are physically and mentally well prepared for the tournament. Our target is simple; to retain the title and the players understand what is required of them to be able to achieve our target,” bahufite told Sunday Sport yesterday. The former Espoir and national team player noted, “Every participating team wants to win the competition and we are not different.” Asked which team he thinks would be Espoir’s main threat in the week-long tournament, Bahufite mentioned Uganda’s Warriors and Burundi’s New Stars. The Espoir coach takes into the tournament probably the most in-form team, which is unbeaten after the first round of the national championship and also majority of his players are part of the national team which is preparing for the upcoming Fiba-Afrobasket men’s championships that will be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. In the women’s category, Rwanda will be represented by league champions APR. Espoir’s 12-man squad: Arstide Mugabe (last year’s MVP), Lionnel Hakizimana, Pascal Karekezi, Olivier Muhizi, Olivier Shyaka, Placide uwizeye, Patrice twagirayezu, Bradley Cameron, Aboubakar Barame, Bienvenue Ngandu, Elie Kaje and Eric Muganirwa.