Damas Sikubwabo<\/b><\/p>\n
Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>The day for the Rwanda Basketball League playoffs has finally come!<\/p>\n Four teams will be tussling it out in the best-of-five the semifinals before the winners from each of the two matchups advance to the finals which will be played in a best of seven series.<\/p>\n The teams have made significant trades to boost their rosters and a host of key players are up for the battle of the championship.<\/p>\n While BK Arena is ready to welcome basketball back, Times Sport takes a look at the players in line to put on a show during the highly-anticipated playoffs.<\/p>\n Michael Dixon \u2013 Patriots<\/p>\n Livewire Georgian-American point guard Michael Dixon who will play for local powerhouse Patriots in the playoffs is expected to cause damage to the opponents.<\/p>\n He is a great scorer and dictates the game well. If he is fit in time for the playoffs, he will undoubtedly orchestrate the Patriots’ quest for their first championship in three years.<\/p>\n He showed how good his game can be when he scored a game high 20 points to inspire Patriots to a 87-74 win over APR in the regular season in Early August.<\/p>\n A naturalized citizen of Georgia since 2016, Dixon represents the Georgian national team, for which he featured at the EuroBasket 2017 among other competitions.<\/p>\n Fula Nganga -APR<\/p>\n Nganga, 29, a Congolese point guard who features for APR, may come in handy for the army side during the playoffs.<\/p>\n He is among the top five scorers in the league this season with 341 points. Such scoring may be a good asset for his team as they push their way to breaking their multiple year trophy drought.<\/p>\n He is an experienced player who previously featured for various clubs in his native DR Congo, including ASB Soyo de Matadi, Ravens and Mazembe.<\/p>\n During the 2022 BAL regular season where he played for DR Congo’s Espoir Furkash, Nganga averaged a team-high 18.4 points per game on 40.2 percent shooting from the field, along with 5.6 rebounds.<\/p>\n Olivier Turatsinze- Espoir<\/p>\n Espoir did not recruit lots of international players like its competitors did. Thus, they will somehow rely on their youngsters like 22-year-old star Turatsinze.<\/p>\n The guard has netted 471 points in the regular season, a score that ranks him and the highest scorers. If he can replicate such a feat in the playoffs, he can give his team a fighting chance.<\/p>\n Adonis Filer-REG<\/p>\n REG’s experienced point guard Adonis Filer is again one to watch during this year’s playoffs. He\u2019s been a household basketball star who hardly disappoints at such big occasions.<\/p>\n His good scoring, hard work and movements are expected to be a weapon for REG and a nightmare for opponents including semifinal underdogs Espoir.<\/p>\n A fortnight ago, Filer scored a three-point buzzer beater that saved the game for REG and shocked rivals Patriots. He rose to the occasion to ensure a top of the table finish for the defending champions who were two points behind Patriots with just two seconds to play.<\/p>\n If the American remains at his top game and his teammates also hit the form, they may give REG a chance to win what would be their third championship in a row.<\/p>\n\r\n