Rwanda men's national basketball team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Rwanda women's national basketball team.

Rwanda

FIBA ranking	90 2 (26 November 2024) [1]
Joined FIBA	1977
FIBA zone	FIBA Africa
National federation	Rwandan Basketball Federation (FERWABA)
Coach	Cheikh Sarr
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	0
AfroBasket
Appearances	6
AfroCan
Appearances	1
Medals	Bronze: (2023)
Home Away

Rwanda men's national basketball team is a basketball team that represents Rwanda in international competitions. It is administered by the Rwandan Basketball Federation (FERWABA) ^[2] Rwanda has yet to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup, but has qualified for the AfroBasket six times.

Before 2000, Team Rwanda was virtually unknown to most basketball fans worldwide. Since the mid-2000s however, the team slowly but surely has made a name for itself. Team Rwanda has emerged as a major force in East Africa and has qualified for the AfroBasket, Africa's prime basketball event, four times in a row between 2007 and 2013. ^[3]

At the AfroBasket 2021 on home soil, Rwanda beat Angola, winner of ten AfroBasket editions between 1989 and 2013. The victory was considered an enormous achievement of the national team. ^[4]

Rwanda won a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA AfroCan in Angola, the first ever podium finish in the country's history. ^[5]

Competitive record

Basketball World Cup

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L
1950	Not a FIBA member
1954
1959
1963
1967
1970
1974
1978
1982	Did not enter
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006	Did not qualify
2010
2014
2019
2023
2027	To be determined
Total			0	0	0

AfroBasket

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L
1978	Did not qualify
1980
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1992
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007	Classification rounds	12th	6	1	5
2009	Classification rounds	9th	8	5	3
2011	Round of 16	12th	5	1	4
2013	Round of 16	10th	5	1	4
2015	Did not qualify
2017	Preliminary round	10th	3	1	2
2021	Round of 16	10th	4	2	2
2025	Qualified
Total			31	11	20

Note: Red border denotes that the tournament was held on home soil.

FIBA AfroCan

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L
2019	Did not qualify
2023	3rd place	3rd	6	3	3
Total	Third place	1/2	6	2	3

African Games

See also: Basketball at the African Games

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L
2011	Quarter-finals	7th	7	2	5
2015	Did not qualify
Total			7	2	5

Team

Kenny Gasana playing for the Rwandan national team in 2017

Current roster

Roster for the AfroBasket 2021. ^[6]

Rwanda men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. PG 4 Jean Nshobozwabyose 23 – (1998-06-26)26 June 1998 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Patriots G 5 Ntore Habimana 24 – (1997-08-15)15 August 1997 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks SG 6 Steven Hagumintwari 27 – (1993-10-01)1 October 1993 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Patriots SG 7 Armel Sangwe 24 – (1997-04-15)15 April 1997 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Espoir SG 8 Emile Kazeneza 20 – (2000-08-30)30 August 2000 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) William Carey University SG 9 Dieudonné Ndizeye 24 – (1996-10-14)14 October 1996 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Patriots PF 10 Olivier Shyaka 26 – (1995-08-14)14 August 1995 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) REG F 11 Alex Mpoyo 24 – (1997-01-05)5 January 1997 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Trepça SG 12 Kenny Gasana 36 – (1984-11-09)9 November 1984 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Patriots C 13 Elie Kaje 26 – (1995-03-17)17 March 1995 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Patriots C 16 Prince Ibeh 27 – (1994-06-03)3 June 1994 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Patriots SF 17 William Robeyns 25 – (1996-02-23)23 February 1996 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Phoenix Brussels	Head coach Cheikh Sarr Assistant coach(es) Yves Murenzi Henry Mwinuka Legend Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 24 August 2021

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
C	Prince Ibeh	Elie Kaje
PF	Alex Mpoyo	Olivier Shyaka
SF	William Robeyns	Armel Sangwe
SG	Emile Kazeneza	Dieudonné Ndizeye	Steven Hagumintwari
PG	Kenny Gasana	Jean Nshobozwabyose	Ntore Habimana

Head coach position

• Većeslav Kavedžija – 2007–2011
• Moise Mutokambali – 2012–2013, ^[7] 2014–2017
• Cheikh Sarr – 2021–present

Past rosters

Team for the 2013 FIBA Africa Championship.

2013 FIBA Africa Championship

Rwanda men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club 4 Olivier Shyaka 18 – (1995-08-14)14 August 1995 Espoir BC SF 5 Patrice Twagirayezu 19 – (1994-07-05)5 July 1994 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Asheville Christian Academy F/C 6 Thierry Suku Suku 24 – (1989-07-12)12 July 1989 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) G 7 Lionel Hakizimana 20 – (1992-12-13)13 December 1992 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Espoir BC G 8 Aristide Mugabe 25 – (1988-02-11)11 February 1988 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Espoir BC G 9 Aboubakar Barame 29 – (1984-04-26)26 April 1984 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Espoir BC F 10 Hamza Ruhezamihigo 28 – (1985-03-27)27 March 1985 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Riviere des Prairies Jaguars F 11 Cameroun Bradley 22 – (1991-02-27)27 February 1991 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Espoir BC F 12 Kenneth Gasana 28 – (1984-11-09)9 November 1984 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) Chabab Rif Al Hoceima F 13 Daniel Rugamba 26 – (1987-03-16)16 March 1987 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) CSK Basket-Ball Club C 14 Kami Kabangu 29 – (1984-07-02)2 July 1984 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Espoir BC	Head coach Moise Mutokambali Legend Club – describes last club before the tournament Age – describes age on 20 August 2013

At AfroBasket 2015 qualification: ^[8]

AfroBasket 2015 qualification

Rwanda men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Aboubakar Ally Barame 31 – (1984-04-26)26 April 1984 Espoir BC Cameroun Curtis Bradley 24 – (1991-02-27)27 February 1991 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Michiana Monarch G Kenneth Gasana 30 – (1984-11-09)9 November 1984 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) Al Gezira Cairo Nicolas Frédéric Robert Gihana 30 – (1985-03-24)24 March 1985 Pacifique Habyarimana 19 – (1996-08-16)16 August 1996 Steven Hagumintwari 21 – (1993-10-01)1 October 1993 Lionel Hakizimana 22 – (1992-12-13)13 December 1992 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Espoir BC Parfait Ishimwe 20 – (1995-05-28)28 May 1995 Kami Kabangu 31 – (1984-07-02)2 July 1984 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Espoir BC Elie Kaje 20 – (1995-03-17)17 March 1995 Pascal Karekezi Rurangirwa 20 – (1994-12-01)1 December 1994 Ali Kubwimana Kazingufu 19 – (1995-12-29)29 December 1995 Dan Manzi 19 – (1995-10-02)2 October 1995 Nestor Ernest Manzi 20 – (1994-12-04)4 December 1994 Aristide Mugabe  (C) 27 – (1988-02-11)11 February 1988 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Espoir BC Olivier Muhizi 27 – (1988-03-20)20 March 1988 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Niyomugabo Sunny Munyandamutsa 20 – (1994-10-01)1 October 1994 Jean Paul Ndoli 20 – (1995-04-30)30 April 1995 Hamza Ruhezamihigo 30 – (1985-03-27)27 March 1985 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Rivière des Prairies Jaguars Jean-Paul Adonis Rwabigwi 20 – (1995-06-09)9 June 1995 Olivier Shyaka 20 – (1995-08-14)14 August 1995 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Kigali BC Thierry Suku Suku 26 – (1989-07-12)12 July 1989 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) ASS Lagnieu SF 5 Patrice Twagirayezu 21 – (1994-07-05)5 July 1994 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Asheville Christian Academy	Head coach Moise Mutokambali Legend Club – describes last club before the tournament Age – describes age on 19 August 2015

Kit

Manufacturer

2013 – Nike ^[9]

2017–present Erreà

See also

• Rwanda national under-19 basketball team
• Rwanda national under-17 basketball team
• Rwanda women's national basketball team
• Rwanda national 3x3 team

References

1. "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
2. FIBA National Federations – Rwanda, fiba.com. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
3. , fiba.com. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
4. AfroBasket : La chute de l’Angola, le peps du Rwanda BasketEurope.com, 27 August 2021. Accessed 17 October 2021.(in French)
5. "Rwanda see off DR Congo for historic podium finish". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
6. "Team Roster Rwanda". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
7. Head coaches, fiba.com. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
8. Rwanda|2015 Afrobasket, ARCHIVE.FIBA.COM. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
9. Byarangije kwemezwa ko umukinnyi Kami Kabangu Milambwe w’amavubi agiye gukina muri Maroc !, FERWABA, 19 October 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2016. (in Kinyarwanda)

External links

• FIBA profile
• Africabasket – Rwanda Men National Team
• Archived records of Rwanda team participations

Videos

• #AfroBasket – Day 2: Rwanda v Burkina Faso (highlights) Youtube.com video