Shyaka and Kabange join Rwanda's early World Cup Qualifiers preparations
KIGALI (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers) - Rwanda on Wednesday began preparations for the upcoming first-leg of Group B of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers.
KIGALI (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers) - Rwanda on Wednesday began preparations for the upcoming first-leg of Group B of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers.
Both Olivier Shyaka and Kami Kabange - who helped Rwanda to a 1-2 mark at FIBA AfroBasket 2017 - headline an 18-player preliminary squad comprising mostly of home-based players.
| Rwanda's preliminary squad for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers - Group B | |||
| Deo Amani | Herve Icyishatse | Parfait Ishimwe | Kami Kabange |
| Elie Kaje | Ali Kubwimana | Steven Hagumintwari | Aristide Mugabe |
| Eric Munyaneza | Diedone Ndizeye | Jean-Paul Ndoli | Walter Nkrunziza |
| Bruno Nyamassa | Pascal Niyonkuru | Bienvenu Niyonsaba | Sedar Sagamba |
| Olivier Shyaka | Ali Ruzigande | ||
Drawn in a group that includes former African champions Nigeria, neighbors Uganda and hosts Mali, Moise Mutokambali's men have a reason to start an early preparation to a tournament that will run from February 23-25 in the Malian capital of Bamako.
"The aim for early preparations with the local based players is for them to have ample time to elevate their competition levels before they are joined by the professional players," Mutokambali said to the local media.
Moise Mutokambali, head coach of Rwanda
Foreign-based players, Mutokambali explained, are expected to join the team's training camp in early February.
The teams that finish in top-three of the four qualifying groups will advance to the 12-team second-round.
And, Rwanda will compete for one of the five tickets on offer for African nations for the 32-team FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China.
FIBA