APR Basketball Club have strengthened their squad ahead of the BetPawa Basketball League playoffs with the return of American guard-forward Teafale Marquise Lenard Jr.
Lenard has already rejoined the military side and has been registered in the team’s squad, making him available for APR’s final regular-season game against RSSB Tigers on Friday night at Petit Stade.
The American first signed for APR in February as the club prepared for the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL), featuring in seven league games before the club withdrew from the continental tournament despite qualifying as Rwanda’s league champions.
Following APR’s withdrawal, RSSB Tigers—who replaced them in the BAL as Rwanda Cup winners—signed several APR players for the competition, including Lenard. APR head coach James Maye Jr. also joined Tigers’ technical staff as an assistant coach.
The move paid off as RSSB Tigers made history by becoming the first Rwandan club to win the Basketball Africa League title.
Although an injury limited his minutes during the tournament, Lenard remained one of the team’s standout performers. In five BAL games, he averaged 19.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 27.4 minutes per game. His 136 points ranked seventh among the competition’s top scorers.
Before joining RSSB Tigers for the BAL campaign, Lenard had averaged nearly 13 points per game for APR, finishing his seven league appearances with 90 points, 51 rebounds, 20 assists and 22 steals.
His return makes him APR’s third signing ahead of the playoffs, following the arrivals of American Leonard Craig Randall II and Senegalese centre Mouhamadou Diagne as the club looks to mount a strong title challenge.
