NAIROBI (Kenya) - Les Hippos of Burundi are the champions of the second East Africa Basketball Championship Cup (EABCC), which concluded on Friday 10 October at the Nyayo Gymnasium in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Patrick Nkurunziza-coached team defeated home side Ulinzi Warriors 88-61 to become the second side from their nation to lift the Cup title, following in the footsteps of inaugural edition winners Remesha.
"A final is always tough and this was no different, even though the score doesn't indicate that. Our tournament started with a loss, to Umoja, but we made adjustments, especially in handling pressure. To go on and win means a lot. It has taken teamwork to get here and we are glad to put Burundi basketball on the map once more," Romis Bujeje, the tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) told FIBA.basketball after the victory.
The Warriors endured a difficult start defensively, allowing the Burundians a 17-3 run that set them up for catch-up, despite dropping a few more baskets for 22-12, the military side couldn't contain Hippos in the final minutes of the opening quarter who carried a 29-12 advantage to the second quarter.
The soldiers were behind 34-16 two minutes into the second stanza as Les Hippos continued to run a tight ship on their paint, giving the hosts all manner of trouble.
Clement Karabona did most of the work for the Burundians, leading them to a 40-16 advantage with four minutes to play. A 12-point run for the military side cut their deficit to 16 points (44-28) with over a minute on the clock in the second stanza, and coach Patrick Nkurunziza side needed to regroup. Warriors missed four times from the charity stripe with Jonathan Monze Nzamba's layup and Ludolphe Munobogo's mid-range jumper, off a loose ball on the paint, taking the match to 48-28, a 20-point mountain for Warriors to climb in the second half.
"Burundi were the better side. They had the size and wingspan and their outside game was good. They had the extra pass, are patient on the ball and had tall point guards who are dangerous from outside. Their rebounding was also good and we really struggled to settle into the game in the first quarter. A 18-point deficit early left us playing catch up the entire match and that was our main undoing," Ulinzi Warriors skipper John Washika offered.
There's was little Ulinzi could do in the second half to turn around Hippo's 20-point advantage as the side continued to dominate in quarters of 16-13 and 24-20 for the convincing victory.
Umoja settled for bronze with close win over KPA
The all-Kenyan affair in the Third-Place playoff match lived up to expectations with Umoja emerging the better side in a 90-86 outcome, effectively relegating Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) from the podium. One of the best assembled side in the six-team competition and a favourite on paper, Umoja recovered from their disappointment in the semis where they lost to Ulinzi Warriors to beat their national rivals in a match that had 11 lead changes and 10 ties.
The encounter came down to the final moments with the Mombasa-based Dockers missing crucial baskets to lose by four.
KPA had dominated the paint 36-26, while also out rebounding Isaac Munywoki's men 53-43 (20-9 on offense) to score 16 against 7 in second chance points, but it was not enough to hand them victory. Victor Bosire led the scoring charts for Umoja, dropping 29 points, eight more than Ariel Okall, after shooting 8-of-10 from behind the arc, adding six assists. Faheem Juma added 15 points to the win, Dismass Mbaka posting a double-double on 11 points and 10 rebounds. "It was a good but disappointing tournament for us as we came here targeting the title, especially with the personnel we had. We had a bad game in the semis, missed everything especially on free throws. Bronze is not what we wanted but we had to challenge ourselves to be on the podium. It is difficult to play the third-place match but I'm glad we won it," Bosire said. KPA's charge was led by Tom Wamukota who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 13 rebounds.
Gambela City win hearts despite poor run
Ethiopia's Gambela City lost the Fifth-Place match 82-48 to Tanzania's Stein Warriors. Despite finishing the six-team competition winless, Gambela City enjoyed massive support from the Ethiopian community in Kenya, especially the Anuak people, emerging as the most supported team in the tournament, despite three Kenyan teams participating. The championship struggled to pull a crowd on the opening day, but Gambela City's fanbase turned the situation around on day two, Monday, as the side opened their campaign against Stein Warriors.
2025 EABCC All-Star Team
Point Guard - Robin Clark Dushime (Les Hippos) Shooting Guard - Brans Nzioka (Ulinzi Warriors) Small Forward - Faheem Juma (Umoja) Power Forward - Romis Bujeje (Les Hippos) Center - Cisco George (Stein Warriors)
2025 EABCC Individual Awards
Most Valuable Player - Romis Bujeje (Les Hippos) Top Rebounder - Romis Bujeje (Les Hippos) Top Scorer - Faheem Juma (Umoja) Best 3-Point Shooter - Salim Kisilu (KPA)
FIBA