FOLLOWING one year of relative inactivity in competitive club basketball under the aegis of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA), because of the unavailability of MSC hard court or another playing facility,  LABA will jump-start the 2011/12 season with its Under-23 League Championship today with a double-header card at the recently refurbished Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.
The two teams contesting tonight are Block 22 Flames who take on Retrieve Raiders at 18:30hrs and at 20:30hrs Kashif and Shanghai Kings are down to match skills with Amelia’s Ward Jets.
The championship has attracted seven affiliated clubs with the four down to play tonight while the others are Wismar Pistons, Victory Valley Royals and GTS Bulls.
With an improved facility catering for more fans Block 22 Flames will seek to light up the MSC hard court with their main players being Keilon Sullivan, Nevin Glen, Jermaine Bouyea, Dellon Azore among others.
Their opponents Raiders, on the other hand,  are expecting strong performances from players of the calibre of national Under-19 star Geoffrey La Rose, Devol Wilson, Yannick Primo, Jermaine Gibbons, Omar Sam, Stephan Tappin, Dwight McKinnon and Stephan Tappin.
The second game at 18:30 hrs has also high expectations with Kings being led by former Under-19 standout player and shooting guard Orin Rose and Curtis Gravesande.
The Jets side will be captained by junior national high jump record holder Robert Parrish and his assistant, junior national player Linden Fraser along with Marlon Persaud, Joel and Adrian Webster, Aminiki Archibald and Shaquille Prato.
The championship, which has a round-robin format before the top four teams advance to the semifinals and final set for next year, will continue next Wednesday with two more matches where the first game brings together Victory Valley Royals and GTS Bulls at 18:30hrs while the second will see Block 22 Flames in action again this time versus Wismar Pistons.