Rwanda well equipped for Afrobasket conquest - Guard, Destiney Philoxy

...We are going to come with fire, have a lot of fun

...As Rwanda concludes final phase of Women's Afrobasket preparations 

By Mishael Emmanuel 

   

   

  

Rwanda star guard Destiney Promise Philoxy has assured that they will make their mark at the Women's Afrobasket scheduled to take place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

 

Destiney Philoxy gave this assurance shortly after Team Rwanda completed closed camping in Egypt ahead of the competition starting on the 26th of this month, in the Ivorien capital.

 

“Everybody wants to be on top and we are going to come with some heat. We are going to come with fire. I just hope you're all ready to put it out, be ready to put the fire out.

 

“We'll have a lot of fun. It's all about having fun. Be ready, let's do it, let's have fun.”

 

Philoxy who averaged 17.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in the last edition of the Women's Afrobasket, on home soil is confident that their performance in Abidjan will be better and equally more inspiring.

 

“LeadwithLegacy, is like, know how to carry yourself. Because you have little kids watching you, who look up to you, so you have to lead by a great example.

 

“But also understand that you're not only playing for yourself, that you're playing for a country. You have to carry the country on your back, you have to understand that what you do reflects them, that is how I take it.

 

“But also on the court just showing toughness. Rwanda is full of tough players, great players and the fact that I'm part of that and one day I'll be part of that legacy right there, is phenomenal.”

  

The 24 year old, America born Rwandan stated that coming to the Rwanda spurred her to put her all into the slamming and dunking game.

“When I came to Rwanda, I understood that everyone is different but we're also the same. With the less resource I saw in Rwanda, it just made me want to work harder. 

 

“It just brought me back to my childhood days, you know we didn't have cones and shooting machines. We just had a partner and you shot the ball and they got the rebound for you, it just brought me back to the authentic part of basketball.”

 

The 5.8ft tall guard who led Rwanda to a semi-final finish at the last edition of the competition, emphasized that they would leave their skin on the court in Abidjan.

 

“Coming in and having nothing to lose that's the scariest thing about teams and we haven't won anything, we shouldn't be celebrating nothing. Just coming in with that energy. It's not going to be a good game for you all. We are going to try our best to make it the worst night of your lives.”

  

The graduate of University of Massachusetts who plays for Rwanda Energy Group W BBC, mentioned some faces she is eager to share the same court with.

 

“I have like 3 opponents that I'm probably excited to face, they're all on different teams. We got a player from Angola, a player in Senegal and a player in Nigeria. So they are players on different teams that I'm excited to play against.”

  

Philoxy noted that her desire to win on the continent is strong, emphasizing that it will motivate her and her teammates to clinch a maiden triumph in the biennial event.

 

“It's personal for every team, and it's the same energy for every team and I'm going to play basketball and go to win, anything other than that. I feel like I'm going to represent Rwanda and we'll wear this jersey for real.”

 

“You have to come and see. Because it's going to be crazy. That one thing I can tell you, this is going to be crazy. It's not going to be normal. It's going to be a crazy year because everybody wants to win,” She added.

Rwanda was pooled in Group D alongside defending champions Nigeria and Mozambique. 

The team will open the campaign against Nigeria on July 26, before taking on Mozambique on July 27. 

Both games will be played at the Palais des Sports in Treichville, Abidjan, which will host all 28 tournament games from Friday, July 26, to Sunday, August 3.

Group winners will advance directly to the quarter-finals and enjoy a two-day break on July 29 and 30. 

Teams finishing second and third in each group will play in a qualification round to determine the remaining quarter-finalists. 

The teams that lose in the quarter-finals will be seeded for classification matches (9th-12th place) based on their results. 

 

Meanwhile, the Rwanda Women's National Basketball Team has concluded the final phase of their preparations for the 2025 Women's Afrobasket, in the land of the Pharaohs - Egypt.

The Rwandan team engaged in two high-level friendly matches against the Egypt Women's National Team.

 

The matchups were designed to refine tactical execution, build team cohesion and evaluate individual performances ahead of the continental tournament.

15 players were chosen to represent the country at the biennial championship. 6 of the players are from Rwanda Energy Group Basketball Club, 3 are from APR BBC while 2 overseas based stars from the USA and France also made the trip.

 

The team is under the leadership of Head Coach Dr. Cheikh Sarr, supported by Assistant Coaches Patrick Habiyambere and Esperance Mukaneza. 

Beyond continental glory, the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket also serves as a qualifier for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 in Germany.

The tournament winners will secure an automatic spot in the World Cup and join the second, third, and fourth-placed teams in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournaments in March 2026.

 

In total, Africa will be represented by four teams in the qualifiers, which will feature six-team tournaments.

FINAL SQUAD:

 

✓ Tetero Odile - REG W BBC 

  

✓ Philoxy Destiney Promise - APR W BBC

 

✓ Mwizerwa Faustine - REG W BBC 

 

✓ Micomyiza Rosine - REG W BBC

 

✓ Byukusenge Gloriose - REG W BBC 

 

✓ Irakoza Ange Nelly - REG W BBC 

 

✓ Jean Baptiste Irakoza Stephanie - APR W BBC 

 

✓ Hampton Keisha Lavon - Portland (Oregon, USA)

 

✓ Uwizeye Assouma - APR W BBC 

 

✓ Murekatete Bella - Toulouse Métropole (France)

 

✓ Butera Hope - REG W BBC 

 

✓ Cyuzuzo Rebecca - The Hoops Rwanda