Wikipedia

Patriots BBC

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]

Patriots
Patriots logo
LeaguesRwanda Basketball League
Founded2014
HistoryPatriots BBC
2014–present
ArenaAmahoro Indoor Stadium / Kigali Arena
Capacity2,500 / 10,000
LocationKigali, Rwanda
Team colorsRed, Black, Gold, White
       
PresidentBrian Kirungi
Head coachHenry Mwinuka
Championships4 Rwandan Leagues

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.

History edit

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.

Players edit

Current roster edit

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Patriots BBC roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Age
PG 2   Mugabe, Aristide (C) 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 36 – (1988-02-11)11 February 1988
PG 5   Sagamba, Sedard 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 34 – (1990-01-01)1 January 1990
PG 10   Sano, Gasana 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 24 – (1999-09-04)4 September 1999
PG 11   Nshobozwa, Wilson 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 25 – (1998-06-26)26 June 1998
SG 12   Gasana, Kenny 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 39 – (1984-11-09)9 November 1984
SG 22   Ndizeye, Dieudonné 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 27 – (1996-10-14)14 October 1996
SG 23   Hagumintwari, Steve 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 30 – (1993-10-01)1 October 1993
C 24   Ndoli, Jean-Paul 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 29 – (1995-04-30)30 April 1995
PG 90   Nijimbere, Guibert (I) 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 27 – (1996-12-26)26 December 1996
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  •   Bernard Oluoch
  •   Olivier Ndayiragije
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (I) Import player
  •   Injured
Updated: November 9, 2021

Retired numbers edit

Patriots BBC retired numbers
N° Player Position Tenure Ceremony date
88 Aristide Mugabe SG 2015–2023 2 March 2024[10]


Past rosters edit

Notable players edit

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Honours edit

National Basketball League

  • Winners (4): 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020

BAL

  • Fourth place (1): 2021

Season by season edit

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

Head coaches edit

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

References edit

  1. ^ Rwanda: Basketball - Patriots, Reg Clash in Pre-Season Final Richard Bishumba, AllAfrica.com. 25 November 2016, accessed 11 April 2017.
  2. ^ "Basketball Africa League - BAL". www.thebal.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-26.
  3. ^ Bishumba, Richard (2015-08-10). "Espoir retain Hoops Play-offs title". The New Times. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  4. ^ "Pictorial: How Patriots Were Crowned Champions of BK Basketball League". 22 September 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  5. ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (26 October 2019). "Mwinuka steps down as Patriots head coach". The New Times. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Ikipe ya Patriots BBC yabonye abatoza bashya #Rwanda". Kigali Today. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Basketball: Patriots sign new American coach Alan Major". The New Times Rwanda. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  8. ^ "J. Cole makes pro hoops debut in Africa League". ESPN.com. 2021-05-16. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Basketball Africa League - BAL". www.thebal.com. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  10. ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (2024-03-02). "Patriots retire former captain Mugabe's jersey". The New Times. Retrieved 2024-03-15.

External links edit

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