{"id":116215,"date":"2025-11-26T19:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T19:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level"},"modified":"2025-11-26T19:26:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T19:26:35","slug":"hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level","title":{"rendered":"Hooping From Lower Division to Top Tier Level"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>East Africa University (EAUR) BBC are setting fresh ambitions as they enter their debut season in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL).<\/p>\n

Their promotion to the top tier league came in July after they clinched the second division championship, defeating Inspired Generation 3\u20131 in the finals.<\/p>\n

Despite joining organised professional basketball only in 2023, EAUR have made remarkable progress, driven by deliberate investment, strong talent development programs, and a unified long-term vision shared across the club\u2019s administration, coaching staff, and players.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur long-term plan was about talent development. We wanted to see young talent growing in different disciplines, including basketball,\u201d club Vice-President Blaise Bazimya told Times Sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first year was about understanding how the competition works, who the players are, and how much investment is needed, since it was the first time in the university\u2019s history to play professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bazimya explained that, after carefully assessing the basketball landscape in Rwanda, the university decided to increase its investment in the team.<\/p>\n

The impact was immediate. EAUR BBC went on to secure two trophies in a single season\u2014the Second Division Basketball League championship and the Heroes Cup. The club also made an impressive run in the Rwanda Cup 2025, reaching the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Rwanda Energy Group (REG).<\/p>\n

For Coach Aime Imena, the team\u2019s rise has been challenging but rewarding.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first year in the second division was complicated, but it wasn\u2019t a bad season. We learned a lot,\u201d Imena admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe developed our players so they could become competitive. Our ambition was to be promoted to first division, and we are happy we achieved it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

But the coach remains realistic about the jump in level, admitting that the Rwanda Basketball League is way more competitive.<\/p>\n

\u00ab We\u2019re not going there to compete with APR or REG. We\u2019re going to learn and stay for many years. Those teams have huge resources. We want to build steadily,\u201d said Imena, emphasizing on supporting student-athletes on and off the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of our players are students. We make sure they have tuition, accommodation, and food covered so they can stay focused on basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

For club shooting guard Beni Ruben Cyiza Ndayishimiye, the promotion to the top division represents more than just a team milestone\u2014it’s a deeply personal achievement in his development as a player.<\/p>\n

“Honestly, the promotion to Rwanda Basketball League meant everything to me. It\u2019s the kind of moment you dream about as a player, knowing the work you put in actually took you somewhere. For me, it\u2019s validation, but also motivation. It showed me that I belong at a higher level, and it pushed me to raise my standard even more,\u201d Ndayishimiye said.<\/p>\n

That promotion to first division basketball comes with a much higher level of responsibility and Ndayishimiye already understands the assignment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to be locked in every single day, train harder both physically and fundamentally, and focus on preparation to deliver the desired outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth the people around me and our team expect consistency at this level, so there\u2019s no room for casual performances anymore,” he added.<\/p>\n

Journey ahead<\/p>\n

EAUR BBC are already active in the transfer market as they prepare for their first season in the topflight. According to Bazimya, the club expects to announce four new signings, including international players, in the coming days.<\/p>\n

The team is also aiming to capitalize on home advantage, with plans to host its home games at the university\u2019s own basketball court in Kicukiro, a move they believe will strengthen their competitiveness and fan support.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving our own facilities is big news. The only thing we\u2019re missing is a gym, which needs heavy investment, but this is a strong beginning,\u201d Bazimya said.<\/p>\n

Budget wise, the club is cautious but ambitious.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not a financially stable club that can invest like $2 million at once. We are progressing step by step. Budget is not the issue, the real question is where do you want to go?\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

EAUR BBC have now set a target for themselves to finish in sixth place on their debut season in the Rwanda Basketball League.<\/p>\n

\u00ab Anything below that is not our level, \u00bb declared Imena.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. East Africa University (EAUR) BBC are setting fresh ambitions as they enter their debut season in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL). Their promotion to the top tier league came in July after they clinched the second division championship, defeating Inspired Generation 3\u20131 in the finals. Despite joining organised professional basketball only in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":116213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,18],"tags":[492,4357,758],"class_list":["post-116215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-basketball","tag-eaur","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nHooping From Lower Division to Top Tier Level - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"East Africa University (EAUR) BBC are setting fresh ambitions as they enter their debut season in the Rwanda Basketball ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hooping From Lower Division to Top Tier Level\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"East Africa University (EAUR) BBC are setting fresh ambitions as they enter their debut season in the Rwanda Basketball ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-26T19:00:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-26T19:26:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/11\/sm_1764172537.080598.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"745\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Hooping From Lower Division to Top Tier Level\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-26T19:00:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-26T19:26:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level\"},\"wordCount\":721,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/11\/sm_1764172537.080598.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"basketball\",\"EAUR\",\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/hooping-from-lower-division-to-top-tier-level\",\"name\":\"Hooping From Lower Division to Top Tier Level - 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