Rwanda, led by standout Dylan Kayijuka, head to the FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 with renewed confidence and a burning desire to improve on their previous ninth-place finish in 2022.
Last Updated on
September 1, 2024
Njie Trompovsky
Staff Writer
The FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 is set to tip off in Pretoria, South Africa. 12 national teams will tussle it out not only for supremacy in African youth basketball but also for a coveted spot in the 2026 FIBA World Cup, as this tournament serves as a qualifier for the global event.
One of the exciting groups of the competition is Group C, featuring Rwanda, Morocco, South Africa, and Zambia. As basketball lovers get ready for exciting action, here is what you need to know about Rwanda.
Although Rwanda fell short in the FIBA Zone V qualifiers, finishing second after a narrow 69-66 loss to Uganda in the final, the team secured its place in the U18AfroBasket finals through a wildcard entry from FIBA Africa, along with Côte D'Ivoire.
Dylan Kayijuka, a Canada-based point-guard who averaged 19.2 points per game in the FIBA Zone V qualifiers is expected to come in handy for Rwanda.
The youngster describes his playing style as relaxed and “involving a lot of change of pace.” He is strong with the ball, can attack the rim at will, and is a good shooter of threes.
Though he first featured for Rwanda’s junior teams only this year during the Zone V qualifiers, he has already adapted so well that the head coach Yves Murenzi has named him the captain of the U18 team.
In Canada, Kayijuka plays for a program called Canada Topflight Academy based in Ottawa. While there, he plays a leadership role too. He creates for his teammates, reads and controls the game, and the going gets tough, the ball is put in his hands to make a play.
This edition of the U18 Afrobasket marks Rwanda's sixth appearance at the tournament. In the past, the team has faced challenges in the competition, with their best performance being a fifth-place finish in 2016 on home soil.
In their most recent participation, which was in 2022 in Madagascar, Rwanda finished ninth, a disappointing outcome they will look to improve upon this year.
Rwanda enters the continental tournament with confidence after a strong showing at the Zone V qualifiers, where they narrowly lost to Uganda in the final. This performance, which included victories over Tanzania and Kenya. Such a performance is expected to boost the team’s confidence as they face stronger teams at the AfroBasket.
[Photography / Imagery Courtesy of FIBA]
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