Nigerian Amy Okonkwo’s Invariably outstanding work was recognized as she was named Most Valuable Player of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2023. D’Tigress continues to reign supreme in Africa.

KIGALI, August 5, the 2023 Nigeria Women’s National Team etched their name in history by winning gold for the fourth time in a row in the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship.

Under the guidance of coach Rena Wakama, D’Tigress improved to 5-0 in the tournament after defeating Senegal 84-74 on Saturday at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. They are now 24-0 in AfroBasket, having not lost a game since October 3rd, 2015 when they faced Angola.

Amy Okonkwo, a 1.88 m, 26-year-old from Nigeria, delivered when it mattered most, dropping 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting in the Final vs. Senegal to win the title, MVP award, best power forward of the tournament, and a spot in the tournament best Five.

Okonkwo finished out averaging 17.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game for the tournament.

Cierra Dillard of Senegal, Sika Kone of Mali, Jannon Otto of Uganda, and Tamara Seda of Mozambique complete the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2023 All-Star Five.

In the other individual awards, besides their All-Star team recognitions, Tamara Seda won the top rebounder award, and Uganda’s Jannon Otto also received the top scorer award. Nigeria’s Taiwo Olaluwatomi won the best three-pointer award.

A fair play award was given to Team Rwanda.

The semi-finalists Rwanda, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal have qualified for the next AfroBasket in 2025, according to the FIBA quota.

Wednesday night in Kigali’s BK Arena, Joyeuse Sifa Ineza determined Rwanda’s 2023 AfroBasket journey was far from over. Sifa displayed a stellar performance in Rwanda’s 66-61 triumph over Uganda, propelling her country into the historic semi-final game with defending champions, Nigeria

The Gazelles led 22-11 at the end of the first quarter and kept that lead through most of the second quarter until Jane Asinde stepped down due to an ankle injury, the injury that cost Alberto Antuna’s squad the game.

At the time, BK Arena got a special guest, which bolstered the mood of the home side fans, allowing them to drive their team back into the game. When Rwandan President Paul Kagame entered the arena, the mood shifted dramatically, and Rwanda rallied back to close the first half by one point. 27-28

Rwanda began the third quarter where they left off, determined to turn things around once and for all. Destiney Philoxy made a three-point jumper, which was followed by Sifa Ineza’s back-to-back three-pointers to take an eight-point advantage.

Janai Crooms Robertson stole a ball, and Melissa Akullu had to foul her to halt her layup. And the determined Crooms scored all of them to stretch the lead to ten points. The action was followed by Crooms’ steal from Jannon Otto, who dished a good ball to the in-form Sifa Ineza, and the latter didn’t disappoint, pouring another three from downtown and forcing Alberto Antuna to call a timeout to stop the opponent’s momentum.

Rwanda maintained its lead in the game, while Uganda entered foul trouble. Sifa Ineza nailed another step back three with 3 minutes left in the third quarter to stretch the margin to 19 points, 51-32. Jannon Otto, Uganda’s irrepressible small forward, scored six straight points to trim the margin to 13 points.

Uganda’s Gazelles fought hard in the last period to get back in the game and narrow the lead to three points while Hope Butera, who was strong on both ends, had already committed four fouls. However, Rwanda emerged as winners, 66-61, and advanced to the semi-finals, their highest-ever reach in a FIBA Women’s AfroBasket competition.

Jannon Jaye Otto delivered another spectacular effort, scoring a game-high 31 points while shooting 15/16 from the free-throw line. She had 13 rebounds and four assists, but it wasn’t enough against a determined Rwandan team.

On the Rwandan side, Assouma Uwizeye stood out with a strong defensive performance. The APR power forward grabbed 13 rebounds, including 10 defensive ones, while committing only one personal foul. She even goes 4-for-7 from the field to provide 8 points in the contest.

Joyeuse Sifa Ineza, 21, led the squad with 19 points, shooting 5-16 from three-point range, collecting 9 rebounds, and dishing out 5 assists in a game in which she only turned the ball once in 31 minutes.

Destiney Philoxy Promise and Janai Crooms Robertson chipped in with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

After accomplishing this historic feat, the Rwandan shooting guard opened up about their pre-court mindset.

“We just came in ready. We lost to Angola and it’s not because they were better than us, but we made a lot of mistakes and that’s like, as Coach said, I just learned from my mistakes, and last game I had 8 turnovers, That’s a lot for a guard.” Said Sifa Ineza

Sifa Ineza added; “I’m not supposed to have 8 turnovers. So, I learned from it and now I got to do the best for the team and just get a win one minute at a time.”

Sifa went on to say that they will prove the doubters wrong

“People are going to talk regardless, but we just learn to block the haters. We just don’t let that energy affect us. And that’s what I said like nobody believed in this.”

“They say, we qualified because we’re the host team and really we just know we’re the underdogs and we got to come out here and just prove people wrong,” Sifa Ineza continued.

Dr. Chekh Sarr’s Rwanda will face a mountain to climb in the semi-finals when they face the reigning champions. Nigeria has won the previous three AfroBasket titles and has not lost in this competition since October 3rd, 2015 when they faced Angola.

The game is set for Thursday, August 3 at 6 p.m. at BK Arena. Mali against Senegal is the other semi-final matchup.

According to the FIBA quota, Rwanda, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal have qualified for the next AfroBasket in 2025.

Rwanda debuted the 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket on a high note, beating Côte d’Ivoire 64-35, and Dr. Cheikh Sarr, the head coach, expressed optimism though He stated that his target goals are to go game by game.

Following an impressive performance to tip off the 28th edition of FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, Rwanda’s head coach, Dr. Cheikh Sarr, fulfilled his FIBA-mandated obligations to attend a duly convened post-match press conference to review the game and give his thoughts on the upcoming encounter.

During the press conference, Dr. Sarr commended his players, and clearly, his optimism looked so uplifting for the tournament; nevertheless, he chose to keep a low profile and did not comment on how he will prepare for his next game against Angola.

Dr Sarr tried and succeeded to prepare his squad under wraps until the final roster was revealed on matchday; as a result, he stunned Côte d’Ivoire, the eighth-ranked African Women’s team.

In his words, Dr. Sarr hailed the team for a good start and appreciated the public for pushing them

“I want to thank the team, Rwandan team, you know we are a family and they [players] show that we have heart and that we can do something. holding a team like Côte d’Ivoire, a running team, a very versatile, physical at 35 points, it means that we can do something together. It is a good start for me, and the public help a lot.”

Dr. Sarr’s team triumphed, however, it became evident that he needs to make a few adjustments in technical aspects. Rwanda made 4-of-17 shots from behind the arc, had 28 turnovers, and shot 60% from the free throw line in a game against Côte d’Ivoire.

How will the Senegalese tactician deal with that?

“I think we can improve some components like the turning the ball over 28 times, but we get a lot of points from the first break, 17 and we attacked the paint, we got 24 inside the paint, which is very good.”

“I think we go back home and then watch the video and prepare for Angola.”

When asked how he prepares for his next opponent and his goals for the competition, Dr. Sarr stated that his goal remains the same; defeat everyone who stands in their way.

“I can’t come here to disclose my plans to Angola. We are prepared, as they are. And for the tournament, we’ll take it one game at a time. We must win all of our games, that is all.” Said Rwanda’s head coach

On the other side, Hope Butera, a center, who was crucial to the victory, wasn’t reluctant to declare that they are ready for this tournament

“We are ready to give whatever it takes to win the competition. It’s my first time, it’s a lot of people’s first time, but I think we are ready as a team, as the whole country.”

Hope Butera, a center, spent 28 minutes on the court and scored 7 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, assisted twice, and stole 3 balls.

In this game, Destiney Promise Philoxy scored a game-high 18 points in her debut. Janai Crooms Robertson chipped in with 11 points in the game Laurence Imanizabayo was forced to withdraw from the competition owing to an ankle injury.

In the next outings, Rwanda takes on Angola on July 30 at 6 p.m. CAT.

Rwanda’s U-16 National Teams, boys and girls, flew back to Kigali on Tuesday afternoon from Tunisia, where they placed fifth in boys and seventh in girls in the recently ended African Championships.

The Rwandan delegation was received cordially by their families upon their arrival at Kigali International Airport and the journalists were eagerly waiting for the participants.

Speaking on behalf of the players, Sean Williams Mwesigwa, who had a stellar performance at the FIBA U16 African Championship, averaging 18.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, spoke with us about the tournament and how he evaluates his performance.

The 15-year-old also emphasized what they lacked that prevented them from reaching the semi-finals.

Mwesigwa, the team’s leading scorer, also reveals where he needs to improve based on what he learned throughout the competition.

“I’m used to the less physical game and a lot more scoring. These guys are used to more team ball, which is something that I definitely stick away from my experience being here. So, yes, that’s what I would say the difference is. So that’s something I definitely picked up from my teammates and something I’ll take back with me when I go back to the States.”

Mwesigwa currently plays for Varsity high school team in Texas. during the 2023 FIBA U-16 African Championship, Rwanda’s journey ended in the quarter-finals following a 94-78 defeat against Egypt. Thus, they had to continue playing classification games.

It was a painful evening for Habiyaremye’s squad, who were vying for a place in the World Cup. A target they should have fulfilled if they made the final.

When addressing the media, coach Patrick Habiyaremye urged the national team officials that the group would still be taken care of and make sure that the preparations for the next tournaments start earlier

“We didn’t make it to the semifinals or qualify for the World Cup, but we finished fifth. It wasn’t easy, and for us, the results aren’t disappointing.”

“We only need to make a few minor adjustments, which will allow us to return to the tournament [U18] more competitively if we plan ahead, get all the kids there on time, and have time to harmonize the game.”

In the classification games, the team led by Patrick Habiyaremye beat Morocco by a tight score of 77-76. Two days later, they defeated Côte d’Ivoire 74-62 to take fifth place.

Guinea stunned Egypt in the final to win the boys’ championship. While in girls, Mali clinched the eighth title in a row.

There is little question that the finest outcomes for the boys came from the introduction of Rwanda’s second division in basketball, where the bulk of U-16 boys players are presently participating.

The girls’ journey has not been easy; after dropping five games in a row, they overcame Guinea in the classification game and place seventh overall

In an interview with Moise Mutokambali, the Basketball National Technical Director, he detailed the girls’ dismal performance as well as their plans to improve and thrive at the international level.

“Locally, the girls’ teams aren’t making much progress; we need to put forth more effort, stay up with the schools’ competition, and go further into development.” Said Mutokambali

 He continued; “The boys’ level has risen mostly as a result of the second-tier league that we established. That’s why we intend to launch another competition for girls, focusing on schools of excellence. We’re working on it, and we started by instructing the coaches at the schools who will help us raise the girls’ level.”

Meanwhile, In Cape Verde in 2019, Rwanda also came in fifth place, their last appearance in the FIBA U16 African Championship after missing the previous edition in Egypt.

In two years, the teams will be back on the international stage competing at the under-18 level.