Rwanda Basketball League
File:National Basketball League (Rwanda) logo.png | |
Organising body | FERWABA |
---|---|
Founded | 1977 |
First season | 1977 |
Country | Rwanda |
Number of teams | 14 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Relegation to | Rwanda Basketball League Division 2 |
International cup(s) | Basketball Africa League (BAL) |
Current champions | REG (3rd title) (2021–22) |
Most championships | Patriots (4 titles) |
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The Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) (formerly the National Basketball League Rwanda) is the top professional basketball league in Rwanda.[1] Its season usually runs from November to September. The winners of the NBL season qualify for the qualifiers for the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
The league currently consists of 14 teams, most of them being from the country's capital Kigali. The current champion of the NBL are REG, having won the 2022 title. REG and their rival Patriots BBC have dominated the league, winning all titles since 2015.
Since the 2021–22 season, the FERWABA also organises the Rwanda Basketball League Division 2 to which the bottom two teams of the RBL relegate.[2]
History
Basketball was introduced in Rwanda in 1930 by Catholic priests, who first thought the sport at high schools in the Southern Province. The following decades, the presence of the sport increased as the military and some public institutions created basketball teams. In 1974, the national basketball federation FERWABA was established. Three years later, in 1977, the first national league was created.[3]
The 1994 Rwandan genocide threw the sport back, because Tutsi players, spectators and administrators died and crucial infrastructure was destroyed.[3]
In the 2000s, APR was the dominant team in Rwanda and it participated in the FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup thrice. Its best result was a bronze medal in 2009.
From 2011 to 2015, Espoir BBC won four straight national titles. From then, two newly established teams REG (owned by the Rwanda Energy Group) and Patriots entered the league. The two teams became rivals and played each other in the finals for several years.
In the 2020s, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) was introduced – the first editions were hosted by the BK Arena in Kigali. Patriots finished in fourth place in the inaugural 2021 season.
Current teams
Champions
Season | Champions | Runners-up | Finals score | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007–08 | APR | |||
2008–09 | APR | |||
2009–10 | KBC | APR | — | |
2010–11 | APR | |||
2011–12 | Espoir (1) | |||
2012–13 | Espoir (2) | APR | 3–0 |
|
2013–14 | Espoir (3) | APR | — | |
2014–15 | Espoir (4) | |||
2015–16 | Patriots (1) | Espoir | — | |
2016–17 | REG (1) | |||
2017–18 | Patriots (2) | REG | 3–2 |
|
2018–19 | Patriots (3) | REG | 4–3 |
|
2019–20 | Patriots (4) | REG | 76–61 |
[7] |
2020–21 | REG (2) | Patriots | 2–0 |
[8] |
2021–22 | REG (3) | Patriots | 3–2
|
[9] |
Performance by club
Club | Wins | Runners-up | Seasons won | Seasons runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 4 |
1 |
2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 | 2021, 2022 |
Espoir | 4 |
1 |
2004, 2012, 2013, 2014 | 2016 |
REG | 3 |
3 | 2017, 2021, 2022 | 2018, 2019, 2020 |
APR | 3 |
2 | 2008, 2009, | 2013, 2014 |
Individual awards
Most Valuable Player
- 2012:
Aristide Mugabe (Espoir)[10]
- 2013:
Bienvenu Ngandu
- 2014:
Mike Buzangu (Cercle Sportif de Kigali)[10]
- 2017–18:
Sedar Sagamba (Patriots)
- 2018–19:
Dieudonné Ndizeye (Patriots)[11]
- 2020–21:
Olivier Shyaka (REG)[8]
- 2021–22:
Axel Mpoyo (REG)[12]
Team of the Year
Season | Players | Coach | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PG | SG | SF | PF | C | ||
2019–20[11] | Guibert Nijimbere (REG) | Wilson Nshobozwa (REG) | Dieudonné Ndizeye (Patriots) | Bienvenu Niyonsaba (APR) | Junior Kasongo (Patriots) | Henry Mwinuka (REG) |
2020–21[8] | Adonis Filer (REG) | Engelbert Beleck Bell (Patriots) | Dieudonné Ndizeye (Patriots) | Olivier Shyaka (REG) | Tom Wamukota (Patriots) | Henry Mwinuka (REG) |
2021–22[12] | Adonis Filer (REG) | Kenny Gasana (Patriots) | Steven Hagumintwari (Patriots) | Axel Mpoyo (REG) | Pitchou Kambuy Manga (REG) | Henry Mwinuka (REG) |
In African competitions
Each year, the champions of the NBL were placed for the qualifiers of the FIBA Africa Basketball League, the premiere pan-African competition. Since 2020, this league is replaced by the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The following list shows Rwandan teams which played in a main tournament:
Club | Participations | Seasons | Best result |
---|---|---|---|
APR | 3
|
2007, 2008, 2009 | ![]() |
Patriots | 1
|
2021 | Fourth place (2021) |
REG | 1
|
2022 | Quarterfinals (2022) |
See also
Notes
References
- ^ Rwanda: Basketball League - Espoir Wary of IPRC-Kigali Bishumba, Richard, All Africa. 25 March 2016, retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "Basketball: Ferwaba releases draw for second division league". The New Times | Rwanda. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ a b "About Ferwaba – Rwanda Basketball Federation". Retrieved 2022-10-02.
- ^ "Rwandan Basketball (Men) Teams". AfroBasket. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Schedule". Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "KBC crowned Champions". The New Times | Rwanda. 2010-09-27. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ Demba, Varore (2020-10-25). "Basket : Patriots champion du Rwanda". Sport News Africa (in French). Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "Basketball: REG crowned national league champions". The New Times | Rwanda. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (2022-09-19). "REG retain championship after Patriots win". The New Times. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
- ^ a b "Buzangu named hoops league 2014 MVP". The New Times. 2014-09-14. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
- ^ a b "PHOTOS: Ndizeye named MVP". The New Times | Rwanda. November 2, 2019.
- ^ a b Sikubwabo, Damas (2022-09-24). "Photos: Basketball: Axel Mpoyo named MVP as league winds up". The New Times. Retrieved 2022-10-02.