Kepler Basketball Club is a Rwandan semi-professional basketball team based in

Kigali Kigali () is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwanda's economic, cu ...

that is managed by the non-profit educational institution

Kepler Johannes Kepler (; ; 27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws of ...

. Their men's team plays in the

Rwanda Basketball League The Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) (formerly the National Basketball League Rwanda) is the top professional basketball league in Rwanda. Its season usually runs from November to September. The winners of the NBL season qualify for the qualifier ...

(RBL) since the 2024 season.

History

The 1,000-student large non-profit education institution

started its basketball program in 2023, mixing the team with both students and professional players. Nathalie Munyampenda was appointed as the club's CEO. In their debut season under Rene Sabahu in the men's

Rwanda Basketball League Division 2 The Rwanda Basketball League Division 2 is the second-highest men's basketball competition in Rwanda, after the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL). On 1 December 2021, the FERWABA The Rwandan Amateur Basketball Federation () is the governing body of ...

, they were promoted following a second place finish in the 2023 season. They acquired all-time legendary player

Aristide Mugabe Aristide Mugabe (born 11 February 1988) is a Rwandan professional basketball player for Patriots of the RBL. Starting his career with Rusizi, Mugabe signed with Espoir in 2009 and helped the team win four RBL championships while winning two MVP ...

for their inaugural RBL season, and also signed the succesfull Ugandan coach

Mandy Juruni Mandy Lutwama Juruni (born 12 May 1967) is a Ugandan professional basketball coach and former player. He is the head coach of the City Oilers since 2012, and is widely regarded the most decorated basketball coach in Ugandan basketball history. ...

, who came over from

BAL Bal may refer to: * Bal (surname), a Dutch, Indian, and Turkish surname * Bal, Iran (disambiguation) * Bal, Zira, a village in Punjab, India * ''Bal'' (film), a 2010 Turkish film * Bäl, a settlement on the Swedish island of Gotland * 8678 Bäl ...

club

City Oilers City Oilers is a basketball club based in Lugogo, Kampala, Uganda. The team competes in the Ugandan National Basketball League (NBL), where it has won eight championships, the most in league history. The Oilers play in the Basketball Africa Leagu ...

. Kepler then went on to sign

Guibert Nijimbere Joe Guibert Nijimbere (born 26 December 1996) is a Burundian basketball player for Kepler and the Burundi national basketball team. Early life Nijimbere was born on 26 December 1996 in Mutanga-Nord, a suburb of Bujumbura, the largest city in th ...

, a Burundi national team guard, for the upcoming season as well. Their first league win came on February 18, when they defeated the

Kigali Titans The Kigali Titans are a Rwandan professional basketball team based in Kigali. The team plays in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL), the highest national level. History The organisation was founded in 2021 by pharmaceutical businessman Eugene ...

at home.

Arena

The team plays at an outdoor court at the college but is planning to construct a 1,500-seater indoor hall by 2024.

References

External links

Kepler Sports at Instagram
{{Rwanda Basketball League Basketball teams in Rwanda Sport in Kigali Basketball teams established in 2022