Patriots | |||
---|---|---|---|
Leagues | Rwanda Basketball League | ||
Founded | 2014 | ||
History | Patriots BBC 2014–present | ||
Arena | Amahoro Indoor Stadium / Kigali Arena | ||
Capacity | 2,500 / 10,000 | ||
Location | Kigali, Rwanda | ||
Team colors | Red, Black, Gold, White | ||
President | Brian Kirungi | ||
Head coach | Henry Mwinuka | ||
Championships | 4 Rwandan Leagues | ||
Patriots Basketball Club, also known as simply Patriots, is a basketball club based in Kigali, Rwanda. Established in 2014, it plays its home games at Amahoro Indoor Stadium. The team is a four-time champion of the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL). [1]
In the 2021 season, the Patriots played in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The club gained worldwide attention when American star rapper J. Cole signed with the team to play in the BAL.
The club Patriots BBC was founded in 2014 by a group of top corporate executives from diverse sectors of the economy. [2] In the Patriots' debut season, they immediately reached the playoff finals, but lost to Espoir 1–3. [3] Two years later, the Patriots won their first national championship.
On 21 September 2019, the Patriots won their fourth league title after defeating REG BBC in Game 7 of the finals, in a sold out Kigali Arena. [4] On 26 October, head coach Henry Mwinuka, who won three league championships with Patriots, parted ways with the club to join REG. [5] On 6 November, assistant coach Carey Odhiambo was promoted to become head coach. [6] In April 2021, ahead of the first-ever BAL season, the team signed American Alan Major as new head coach. [7] In April 2021, five days before the release of his album, The Off-Season , American rapper J. Cole signed with the Patriots. [8]
The Patriots played their first BAL game on 16 May 2021 at home in Kigali, beating Nigerian side Rivers Hoopers 83–60. [9] Eventually, the team finished in an impressive fourth place of the tournament.
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
Patriots BBC roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: November 9, 2021 |
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
Criteria |
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To appear in this section a player must have either:
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Season | Tier | League | Position | Heroes Cup | African competitions | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014–15 | 1 | NBL Rwanda | 2nd | |||
2015–16 | 1st | |||||
2016–17 | 2nd | |||||
2017–18 | 1st | |||||
2018–19 | 1st | Runner-up | ||||
2019–20 | 1st | |||||
2020–21 | 2nd | Cancelled | BAL | 4th | ||
2021–22 | RBL | 2nd | Not held | |||
2023 | 4th |
Coach | From | To | Honours |
---|---|---|---|
Henry Mwinuka | December 2016 | October 2019 | 4x NBL champion |
Carey Odhiambo [6] | November 2019 | February 2020 | |
Dean Murray | February 2020 | March 2021 | 1x NBL champion |
Bernard Oluoch | March 2021 | April 2021 | |
Alan Major | April 2021 | May 2021 | |
Ogolla Benson | May 2021 | December 2022 | |
Henry Mwinuka | January 2023 | present |
Kenneth Gasana is a Rwandan professional basketball player who currently plays for Bangui Sporting Club of the Road to BAL. Born in the United States, he represents Rwanda internationally.
Espoir BBC is a Rwandan professional basketball club based in Kigali. The club competes in Rwanda's National Basketball League.
The Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) (formerly the National Basketball League Rwanda) is the top professional basketball league in Rwanda. Its season usually runs from November to September. The winners of the NBL season qualify for the qualifiers for the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Aristide Mugabe is a Rwandan professional basketball player for Patriots of the RBL. Starting his career with Rusizi, Mugabe signed with Espoir in 2009 and helped the team win four RBL championships while winning two MVP awards. In 2015, he transferred to Patriots where he won four more championships. Mugabe is one of the most decorated players in Rwandan basketball history.
Kami Kabange is a Congolese-born naturalized Rwandan former basketball player. Standing at 2.03 m, he plays as center. He had a 12-season long career for different clubs in East Africa. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he is a naturalised Rwandan citizen and represented the Rwanda national team.
Dean Murray is an American professional basketball coach. He is the current head coach of REG of the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Rivers Hoopers is a Nigerian basketball team based in Port Harcourt, Rivers. The team plays in the Nigerian Premier League. Established in 2009 as Royal Hoopers, the team has played in the Premier League since its inception. Hoopers have won the national championship four times, with titles in 2011, 2012, 2019 and 2021.
BK Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Kigali, Rwanda, used mostly for basketball and volleyball matches. Built and finished in 2019, it hosts sporting events and concerts. It is the biggest indoor arena in East Africa and is located next to the Amahoro Stadium.
The 2021 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 1, was the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Established as a joint effort between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and FIBA, the BAL is the highest tier continental league of Africa, replacing the FIBA Africa Basketball League. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BAL held its inaugural season one year later as planned, with the season beginning in 2021. Initially the league planned to play in six venues in six countries; however, due to the pandemic the season was held in a bio-secure bubble in Kigali, Rwanda. The season began on 16 May 2021 and ended on 30 May 2021.
Rwanda Energy Group BBC, commonly known as REG, is a Rwandan basketball club based in Kigali. It is owned and named after the company Rwanda Energy Group Limited. It plays in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL), the highest tier of basketball in Rwanda. REG has won the national championship thrice, in 2017, 2021 and 2022.
Cobra Sports Club, commonly known as Cobra Sport, are a South Sudanese basketball team based in Juba, South Sudan. The team was established in 2017 and plays in the Central Equatoria State Basketball Association (CESBA). Cobra has won three national championships.
The 2022 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 2, was the second season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season began on 2 March 2022 and ended with the Finals on 28 May 2022. The group phase was played in the Dakar Arena in Dakar and the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo. The playoffs and finals were played in the BK Arena in Kigali for a second year in a row.
Tom "Bush" Wamukota is a Kenyan professional basketball player for APR of the Rwanda Basketball League. He has played for the Kenya national team.
Dieudonné Ndayisaba Ndizeye is a Rwandan basketball player for REG and the Rwanda national team. He is a three-time RBL champion and a one-time league MVP winner in 2019. Ndizeye has played two seasons in the BAL as well.
Urunani BBC is a Burundian basketball club based in Bujumbura. Nicknamed "Sisi Wenyewe", the team plays in the Viva Basketball League (VBL).
Jean Jacques "J. J." Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza is a Rwandan basketball player who currently plays for REG on loan from APR of the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL). He is also a member of the Rwanda national basketball team.
The 2021 BAL season was the 1st season for the Rivers Hoopers of the Basketball Africa League. The team began the season on May 16, 2021, in the season opener against Rwanda's Patriots BBC.
This page lists the rosters of the 2022 BAL season, the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Each team features 13 players. On the rosters, a maximum of four foreign players is allowed including maximum two non-African players. One player from the BAL Elevate program, a cooperation with the NBA Academy Africa, is placed on each team.
The 2023 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 3, was the third season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season began on 11 March 2023 and ended on 27 May 2023. The playoffs were played in the BK Arena in Kigali, which hosted the final stage for a third season in a row. The regular season was played in Dakar, Senega and Cairo, Egypt, both venues hosted a conference for a second year in a row.
The 2023 RBL season was the second season of the Rwanda Basketball League under its current name, while the top-level competition has been organised by the FERWABA for a longer time. The season began on 12 January 2023 with the regular season. The playoffs will begin on 23 August and ended on 9 September 2023.