Aristide Mugabe (born 11 February 1988) is a Rwandan professional basketball player and assistant coach for Kepler of the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL). He played 11 years for the Rwanda national team during his career. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in Rwandan basketball history.[1]
| Kepler | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard / Assistant coach |
| League | Rwanda Basketball League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 11 February 1988 Maraba, Rwanda |
| Nationality | Rwandan |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2011: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2007–present |
| Coaching career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2007–2009 | Rusizi |
| 2009–2015 | Espoir |
| 2015–2023 | Patriots |
| 2024–present | Kepler |
| As coach: | |
| 2024–present | Kepler (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Starting his career with Rusizi, Mugabe signed with Espoir in 2009 and helped the team win four RBL championships while winning two MVP awards. In 2015, he transferred to Patriots where he won four more championships. Mugabe is one of the most decorated players in Rwandan basketball history.
For Rwanda, Mugabe played in three AfroBasket tournaments.
Early life
editMugabe was born to Theotime Habiryayo and Veneranda Mukamurehe in Maraba, a sector in the Huye District of Rwanda, and was the second born in a family of three boys. He grew up playing football with other children in his neighborhood.[2]
In 1994, when Mugabe was six years old, his father, older and younger brothers, and other relatives were killed by the Interahamwe militia in the Rwandan genocide. After their deaths, he frequently moved around to escape the Interahamwe. Eventually, he and his mother were evacuated to Burundi by the humanitarian organization Terre des hommes.[3]
The trauma of losing his family members in the genocide caused him to give up sports for the next six years. In 2001, Mugabe started playing basketball after being encouraged by his secondary school, E.A.V. Ntendezi, in the Nyamasheke District. He credits basketball with helping him recover from the genocide. He attended St. Joseph Kabgayi, where he won a high school title and finished third place at the East African secondary school games, before moving to Laiser Hill Academy in Nairobi, Kenya for one year, winning an East Africa secondary school title as its most valuable player (MVP).[2]
Professional career
editIn 2007, Mugabe made his debut in the National Basketball League (NBL), the top-flight league in Rwanda, with Rusizi BBC. Two years later, he joined Rwandan team Espoir BBC. Mugabe also played in the Zone VI Championships qualifiers of the FIBA Africa Clubs Championship with Marine BBC in 2009 and with Cercle Sportif de Kigali (CSK) in 2010.[4] In 2012, Mugabe led Espoir to its first Zone V championship, a qualifier for the 2012 FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup, and was named MVP of the National Basketball League after winning the regular season title and playoffs trophy.[2] In 2013, he repeated as MVP after helping Espoir win the regular season title and playoffs trophy.[5]
In 2015, Mugabe signed with fellow Kigali-based club Patriots.[6] With the Patriots, he won a title in 2016 and three consecutive NBL titles in 2018, 2019 and 2020. He also played in the 2021 BAL season, the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), where he captained the Patriots team to the fourth place. On 2 March 2024, the Patriots retired Mugabe's jersey number 88.[7]
On 1 February 2024, Mugabe ended his 7-season tenure with the Patriots and signed with newly promoted team Kepler.[8]
National team career
editMugabe played for the Rwanda national basketball team for 11 years, serving as captain in most of them. He played in AfroBasket in 2011, 2013, and 2017.[9] Mugabe announced his retirement in 2021.[1]
Personal life
editIn early 2014, Mugabe graduated from University of Lay Adventists of Kigali (UNILAK) in Kigali with a bachelor's degree in finance. He worked at the Bank of Kigali, and later as an accountant for Rwandan security company ISCO.[10][11]
BAL career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Patriots | 6 | 0 | 11.5 | .542 | .550 | .818 | 1.2 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | 7.7 |
| Career | 6 | 0 | 11.5 | .542 | .550 | .818 | 1.2 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | 7.7 | |
References
edit- ^ a b Munyeshuri, Evode (1 July 2022). "Rwanda Legend Aristide Mugabe Announces His International Retirement | Ground Sports Ground Sports |". Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ a b c Bishumba, Richard (13 April 2015). "Mugabe: From Genocide agony to top basketballer". The New Times. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ "Survivant du génocide et ensuite capitaine du Rwanda : l'histoire émouvante de Aristide Mugabe" (in French). News Basket Beafrika. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "Hard work brings the best out of Mugabe". The New Times. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ Kamasa, Peter (17 March 2013). "MVP Mugabe praises to teammates". The New Times. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Kaweru, Franklin (9 November 2015). "Patriots acquire Aristide Mugabe from Espoir". Kawowo Sports. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (2 March 2024). "Patriots retire former captain Mugabe's jersey". The New Times. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (1 February 2024). "Mugabe bids farewell to Patriots". The New Times. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Aristide Mugabe: Getting a World Cup ticket is a possibility for Rwanda". FIBA. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ Kantengwa, Sharon (30 September 2016). "Basketball can take you places - Mugabe". The New Times. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- ^ "Patriots captain Aristide Mugabe: Accountant by day, BAL baller by night". ESPN.com. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2024.