THE 10th National Youth Basketball Festival opened yesterday following a gala ceremony at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Thanks to Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) and their corporate partners; Digicel, Banks DIH Limited and the Beharry Group of Companies, over 50 schools across Guyana participated in the regional zone championships, where the Nation’s top school now congregate at Guyana’s premier indoor facility for what is promised to be an epic showdown in basketball.

In officially declaring the week long championship open, Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, while expressing his Government’s willingness and commitment in returning sports to the education system, spoke profoundly of some of his plans for development.

“Monies allocated to sports will first and foremost benefit the athletes” Dr. Roopnarine said, after which loud cheers erupted from patrons and competing schools.

The Education Minister added “my gratitude goes out to the corporate sponsors to this event for their strong tangible support for basketball, this module of corporation between the government, NGO’s and the private sector, towards the goal of developing a sector”.

“To the young players and someone who had the distinct pleasure and privilege of representing my own school and the county of Demerara in sport, I know the excitement you must now be feeling as this completion takes off” Sr. Roopnarine said.
According to the minister who also has a responsibility of sports “I believe that for children at school, school and the classroom, much more enrichment than simple academic achievement can offer.
This coming vacation, we’re organising a music workshop for our teachers for music in the schools and for me putting music back in the schools and stimulating sporting activities are all part of what I believe a more complete school education entails”.

President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Nigel Hinds not only endorsed the championships, but said that the Federation’s plan is to scout players from the tournament for the upcoming Inter Guiana Games (IGG).

Hinds said that players should strive for excellence beyond the sport, stating “the time is now, in all of our endeavours, this is the time that we must plant the seed, do the hard work and then we will benefit from the harvest”

Meanwhile, YBG honoured several of their top players from the past; National Captain Akeem Kanhai, point guards Shelroy Thomas and Dominique Vincente and female national player Ginelle Ifill.

The aforementioned players would’ve used the YBG National School’s basketball championship as a launch pad of securing an opportunity to representing Guyana Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championship.