{"id":119165,"date":"2026-02-05T17:21:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T17:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship"},"modified":"2026-02-05T17:38:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T17:38:54","slug":"mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship","title":{"rendered":"Mwinuka\u2019s Tigers out to challenge APR for championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Tigers Basketball Club head coach Henry Mwinuka believes the squad at his disposal can mount a serious challenge to reigning champions APR BBC as the new season approaches.<\/p>\n

Tigers and APR shared major domestic honours in 2025, with Tigers lifting the Rwanda Cup while APR claimed the Rwanda Basketball League title. The two sides will meet in the Rwanda Super Cup on Friday, February 6, just two days before the 2026 league season tips off.<\/p>\n

Mwinuka heads into the new campaign with a significantly revamped roster, highlighted by several high-profile signings made during the offseason.<\/p>\n

Former Patriots guard Steven Hagumintwari joined Tigers in search of a new challenge under his former coach, while Olivier Shyaka, Bruno Nyamwasa, Paul Bizimungu, and Antino Jackson also signed on after being convinced by the club\u2019s project.<\/p>\n

Experienced imports Anthony Tarke and Albert Odero are also expected to add valuable overseas experience as Tigers push toward their ambitions.<\/p>\n

On Mwinuka\u2019s recommendation, the club also extended the contracts of key contributors Pitchou Manga, Lars Ishimwe, Fiston Irutingabo, and Herve\u0301 Icyishatse, ensuring continuity alongside the new arrivals.<\/p>\n

With the current roster, Mwinuka says Tigers are building a competitive side capable of challenging APR, who have won the league championship in each of the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a tough job in blending new and old players, but the rest is easy,\u201d Mwinuka told Times Sport. \u201cWe have competed with REG and Patriots before. My goal is to build a team that can compete against APR BBC.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coach also expects a more demanding campaign across the league.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year will be very difficult because all the teams have strengthened their squads. With six teams at a good level, I believe the season will be stronger than last year,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Tigers\u2019 best league finish came during the 2021\u201322 season, when they placed fourth, and they reached the semifinals in December 2024.<\/p>\n

As the 2026 Rwanda Basketball League season gets underway on Sunday, February 8, Mwinuka is hopeful of improved results and a genuine title challenge.<\/p>\n

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

Africa-Press – Rwanda. Tigers Basketball Club head coach Henry Mwinuka believes the squad at his disposal can mount a serious challenge to reigning champions APR BBC as the new season approaches. Tigers and APR shared major domestic honours in 2025, with Tigers lifting the Rwanda Cup while APR claimed the Rwanda Basketball League title. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":119164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,18],"tags":[3878,7197,758],"class_list":["post-119165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-apr-bbc","tag-henry-mwinuka","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nMwinuka\u2019s Tigers out to challenge APR for championship - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tigers Basketball Club head coach Henry Mwinuka believes the squad at his disposal can mount a serious challenge to reig ...\" \/>\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\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mwinuka\u2019s Tigers out to challenge APR for championship\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tigers Basketball Club head coach Henry Mwinuka believes the squad at his disposal can mount a serious challenge to reig ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-05T17:21:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-05T17:38:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1770300504.582503.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\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=\"2 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\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Mwinuka\u2019s Tigers out to challenge APR for championship\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-05T17:21:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-05T17:38:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship\"},\"wordCount\":355,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1770300504.582503.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"APR BBC\",\"Henry Mwinuka\",\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/mwinukas-tigers-out-to-challenge-apr-for-championship\",\"name\":\"Mwinuka\u2019s Tigers out to challenge APR for championship - 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