REG
Wikipedia - REG BBC
Rwanda Energy Group BBC, commonly known as REG, is a Rwandan basketball club based in Kigali. It is owned and named after the company Rwanda Energy Group Limited. It plays in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL), the highest tier of basketball in Rwanda. REG has won the national championship thrice, in 2017, 2021 and 2022.
The club played in the Sahara Conference of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) in 2022 and 2023, and was a quarter-finalist in both seasons. REG shares a rivalry with Patriots BBC.
History
Established in 2016, the club won the NBL Rwanda in 2017. Then, REG played in an African competition for the first time when it entered the 2018–19 Africa Basketball League.
On 2 November 2019, Henry Mwinuka signed for two years as the new head coach.
On 30 October 2021, REG won its first Rwandan national championship after defeating arch-rivals Patriots 2–0 in the finals. Olivier Shyaka was named the league's Most Valuable Player after scoring 30 points in Game 1 and 22 points in Game 2. As a result of the championship, REG also qualified for the 2022 season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). On February 18, 2022, the team signed ex-NBA player and coach Robert Pack as its new head coach.
The team won their third national title after once again defeating Patriots in the finals, 3–2, in the 2022 season. Subsequently, REG represented Rwanda in the BAL for the 2023 season and was once again a quarter-finalist, this time being eliminated by the later to be champions Al Ahly.
REG jest jednym z najbardziej utytułowanych klubów w Rwandzie, zdobywając dziewięć tytułów mistrzowskich kraju (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021) oraz sześć pucharów kraju (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018).
W 2021 roku REG zadebiutował w BAL, stając się pierwszym rwandzkim klubem, który wziął udział w tych rozgrywkach. Dotarł do fazy play-off, gdzie został wyeliminowany w ćwierćfinale przez Zamalek SC.
REG jest znany z agresywnego stylu gry w obronie i szybkiej gry w ataku. Dysponuje utalentowaną kadrą, w której skład wchodzą reprezentanci Rwandy, a także zawodnicy z zagranicy.
Klub ma silne wsparcie kibiców w Rwandzie i jest uważany za narodową dumę. Jest również ważną częścią społeczności Kigali, prowadząc programy dla młodzieży i angażując się w działania charytatywne.