Bienvenu Ngandu has been the best defensive player in the national basketball league for two seasons running. In the just concluded campaign, he was named the Most Valuable Player after guiding Espoir to a second successive league and playoff titles.
The new MVP, who replaces his teammate Aristide Mugabe, was born on August 28, 1985 in the DR Congo capital Kinshasa to Mbanze Jamarie and Ilangi Odette. He is the first born in a family of seven; three boys and four girls.
The 28-year-old attended EP4 Yolo North for his primary and Lycee Matonge for his secondary education respectively, both in Kinshasa. He says he started playing basketball in primary and was the team captain for his secondary school team.
"After my secondary school studies, I joined BC Yolo team. But I didn't stay long as shortly after I signed for DCMP and later in 2003 I played for Onatra Matadi before crossing to Mulokayi team (all of DRC) in the same year.
"I also played in the Afrobasketball U-20 championships in Senegal," Ngandu disclosed in an interview with Saturday Sport on Thursday.
In 2005, Kabinda club of Angola signed him but life wasn't all that good in Luanda.
He struggled to settle in the team and played one season before returning to Congo where he featured for BC Onatra.
Ngandu is engaged and plans to marry his long-time fiancé (names withheld on his request) sometime early next year, he told this paper.
How APR spotted him
After winning two Congolese national championships with BC Onatra, the six-foot Ngandu also played a key role for the Kinshasa-based side at the Fiba Afro-basket Club Championships in Angola from where he was spotted by APR couch Cliff Owour.
Rwanda's APR were in Group A, while BC Onatra were on Group B and the two teams met in the quarter-finals which APR won 64-41. The tournament was won by Angolan side 1º de Agosto, who beat archrivals Petro Atlético 61-53 in the final.
"We (BC Onatra) played against APR at the African club championship in Angola, and it was after that game that the couch (Owuor) handpicked me, that is how I ended up in Rwanda," Ngandu recalls.
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