As they enter their third consecutive BAL season, the Rwandan champions Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) will be looking to improve on their third-place finish in the 2025 season.
Having been drawn in the highly competitive Kalahari Conference, which includes some familiar opponents, the inevitable question is whether the Rwandan powerhouse can improve on last season’s performance.
Judging by the team’s current form in the domestic league and their new signings, APR looks solid enough to reach the Playoffs this season, and potentially the Last Four.
Founded in 1993 by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, the club is currently owned by the Ministry of Defence.
APR has won the last three domestic league titles, bringing their total to 17.
In 2025, APR reached the BAL playoffs after finishing second in the Nile Conference with a 3–3 record.
However, it was in Pretoria, South Africa, that they made history by becoming the first Rwandan team to reach the league podium in third place, where they overran Egypt’s Al Ittihad Alexandria 123–90.
APR are the second Rwandan team to reach the semi-finals since the Patriots Basketball team, who finished fourth in the inaugural BAL season.
The Lions have retained the core of their squad from last season but have also recruited two star players from last season: Teafale Lenard Jr. and Madut Akec.
Teafale Jr. made quite a splash during his BAL season in 2025 with record-breaking performances.
The 6’8″ small forward, who played for the South African team MMB, averaged a season-high 22.7 points and 3.5 steals per game. He also converted more free throws (7) per game than any other player. He came second in blocked shots, averaging 2.7 per game.
Meanwhile, Madut, who played for Nigerian side Rivers Hoopers in the 2025, finished with a season-high of 48% three-point shooting, averaging 17.9 points, 3.9 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Other new arrivals at APR include Mangok Mathiang, who was born in South Sudan, and the American duo of Leonard Craig and Quinn Cook.
Mathiang, a 6’8″ centre who represented Australia internationally in the 2019 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, had a brief stint with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.
Cook, meanwhile, has a background in winning championships.
As well as winning his first NBA title with the Golden State Warriors in 2018, the 6-foot-2 point guard won his second NBA ring with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. Cook also won the 2015 NCAA title with Duke University.
James Maye Jr. has been at the helm of the Rwandan champions for the last two seasons.
His résumé includes an assistant coaching position with the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League, who are affiliated with the Atlanta Hawks.
As a player, Maye Jr. made his mark on African basketball while playing for the Libyan team Al Shabab.
He helped them to finish sixth in the 2008 FIBA Africa Champions Cup, the predecessor to the Basketball Africa League (BAL), in Sousse, Tunisia. Maye Jr. led Al Shabab in scoring with an average of 21.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Primeiro de Agosto won the 2008 tournament.
Maye Jr. also played internationally for the Dominican Republic national team.
The Lions of APR currently have an overall BAL win-loss record of 7–8 dating back to the 2024 BAL season.
