APR BBC

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
For the women's team, see APR WBBC.
APR
File:Basketball current event.svg 2024 APR BBC season
APR logo
NicknameLions
DivisionDivision 1
LeaguesRwanda Basketball League
BAL
Founded1993
HistoryAPR BBC
(1993–present)
ArenaBK Arena[1]
Capacity10,000
LocationKigali, Rwanda
ChairmanRichard Murefu
Head coachJames Maye Jr.
OwnershipMinistry of Defence
2023 positionRBL, 1st of 14
Championships14 Rwandan Leagues

Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball Club, commonly known simply as APR, is a Rwandan basketball club based in Kigali. Owned and funded by the Ministry of Defence of Rwanda, the team plays in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) and in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for the 2024 season. Nicknamed the "Lions", the team is the most decorated team in the country, as APR has won a record 16 national championships.[2]

History

[edit | edit source]

Originating during the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)'s liberation struggle during the Rwandan Civil War in 1993, the club was established to serve as a means to engage and occupy soldiers during a ceasefire amid the peace talks that eventually led to the signing of the Arusha Accords. Alongside the basketball team, the RPF introduced teams in volleyball and football, which continue to operate successfully.[3]

From 1995 to 2003, APR won nine consecutive national championships.[3]

The Lions were taken over by Kenya-born head coach Cliff Uwuor in 2005. They won the FIBA Africa Zone 5 Club Championship in 2008, and won league titles in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010.[4]

In 2008, APR became the first team in league history to finish the regular season unbeaten.[5] Its succeses were partly due to APR's high-quality foreign players, mainly from the DR Congo. After its thirteenth championship in 2009, the team went a decade without notable performances. The club opted to play with homegrown players in these years, a decision that coach Uwuor named as a reason for less titles in these years.

In the 2023 offseason, the Lions acquired national team player Axel Mpoyo, Jean Jacques Nshobozwabyosenumukiza and Ntore Habimana, among others. APR eventually ended its 13-year long title drought before by winning another title in the 2023 RBL season, under head coach Maz Trakh.[6]

APR made its BAL debut in the 2024 season, receiving direct qualification to the main tournament as Rwandan champion. The Lions were allocated in the Sahara Conference, but disappointingly finished in the fourth place in the group,[7] becoming the first Rwandan team in league history to miss out on the playoffs.[8] In August, they won the inaugural Rwanda Cup title.[9] APR also won the 2024 league title, qualifying them for a second BAL season.[10]

In the 2025 BAL season, APR finished in the third place of the league, the best result by a Rwandan team in league history, surpassing Patriots' fourth place in 2021. The Lions also set a league record for most points scored in a game in the third place game, after beating Al Ittihad 123–90.[11] Center Aliou Diarra was named the BAL Defensive Player of the Year.[12] On July 12, 2025, they won their 16th national championship.[13]

Honours

[edit | edit source]

National

[edit | edit source]

Rwanda Basketball League / National Basketball League

  • Champions (16): 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2023, 2024, 2025
    • Runners-up (2): 2013, 2014

Rwanda Cup

Rwandan Heroes Cup

  • Runners-up (1): 2020

Genocide Memorial Tournament

  • Winners (1): 2024[14]

International

[edit | edit source]

Basketball Africa League (BAL)

  • Third Place (1): 2025

FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup

  • Third Place (1): 2009

FIBA Africa Zone 5 Club Championship

  • Winners (3): 2002, 2007, 2008

Friendly

[edit | edit source]

Legacy Basketball Tournament

  • Winners (1): 2024[15]

In FIBA and BAL competitions

[edit | edit source]

FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup (3 appearances)

2007 – 6th Place
2008 – 8th Place
2009 – Bronze Third place

Basketball Africa League (BAL) (1 appearance)

2024 – To be determined

Season by season

[edit | edit source]
Season Regular season Playoffs Cup competition
Finish Wins Losses Pct.
APR
2017–18 Season was not held
2018–19 4th 7 6 .538 Lost semifinals (Patriots) 2–3
2019–20 3rd[a] 2 1 .667 Lost semifinals (Patriots) 68–75 Runners-up (HC)
2020–21 4th 10 1 .909 Won quarterfinals (UGB) 93–51
Lost semifinals (Patriots) 0–2
2021–22 3rd 21 3 .875 Lost semifinals (REG) 1–2
2023 3rd 19 3 .864 Won semifinals (Patriots, 3–0)
Won finals (REG, 4–0)
2024 2nd 16 2 .889 Won semifinals (REG, 3–0)

Won finals (Patriots, 4–2)

Winners (RC)
Regular season record 75 16 .824
Play-down record 18 10 .643
  1. ^ In the 2019–20 season, the season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such APR only played a group phase of three games.

Players

[edit | edit source]

Current roster

[edit | edit source]
This section is transcluded from 2024 APR BBC season. (edit | history)

{{#section:2024 APR BBC season|roster}}

Notable players

[edit | edit source]

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.
See also: Category:APR B.C. players

Head coaches

[edit | edit source]

The following people have been head coaches of APR:

Women's team

[edit | edit source]

APR WBBC is the club's women's team plays in the Rwanda Women's Basketball League and have represented the country in the 2022 FIBA Africa Women's Champions Cup.[18]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  17. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
[edit | edit source]
Retrieved from "http://70.231.62.181/index.php?title=APR_BBC&oldid=24709175"