… Major prizes up for grabs
INTRIGUING action is expected to invade the courts following the official launch of the inaugural National Community Basketball League (NCBL) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCY&S), yesterday. The tournament was a project of Link up Media – Guyenterprise and Bobby’s Afterschool Programme and it has attracted the support of the MCY&S, while being endorsed by the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF).
A total of sixteen male teams and four on the distaff side will do battle from Saturday, May 19 to June 30, with matches fixed for the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Burnham Court, Mackenzie Sports Club hard court, and New Amsterdam.
The champion team will win $500 000, while the runner-up will pocket $250 000 and third-placers $150 000. Added to the cash prizes will be trophies and medals, while the Most Valuable Player will ride away with a motorcycle.
The teams are: Wismar, New Amsterdam, Central Mackenzie, Alpha/Bourda, North Ruimveldt, Kitty/Campbellville, Albouystown/Charlestown, South Rumveldt, Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust, BV/Melanie, McDoom/Diamond, Tucville/Guyhoc, East/West Ruimveldt, Lodge/Meadow Brook, Plaisance/Vryheid’s Lust, and Kwakwani.
The 16 male teams will be divided into four groups and will play in a round-robin format with the top two advancing to the quarter-finals. Following the semi-finals, the two top teams will contest a best-of-three series spread over three nights.
Logistics Coordinator, Kwame Mentore, said the event will be one with a difference, with the talented All Stars dancing girls, sponsored by Converse, being a major attraction, along with a massive prize of a motor car to be won by a lucky fan.
He said: “We want the fans to come out, so we’re doing something special for the fans. We will be giving away a motor car to the fan who shoots the ball from half court. How are we going to do this?
For the duration of tournament, if someone happens to make a shot then we keep that name and if at the end there is no other person who would have scored from half court, that person would automatically become the winner.”
Mentore added: “If we have more than one person, then we will have a shoot off at the end. We must have a winner of the motor car,” adding that at least one game per week will be shown live on television so as to attract a wider audience.
Director of Sport Neil Kumar, said the group of Mentore, Robert ‘Bobby’ Cadogan and former GABF president Trevor Rose, with support from the GABF is a good team of officials that will certainly ensure the tournament is a memorable one.
He said such competitions fit neatly into the MCY&S and National Sports Commission’s (NSC) mandate to promote community sport and the organisers must be lauded for the initiative they have taken.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s opening games will feature Wismar against New Amsterdam at 18:00hrs and Central Mackenzie against Alpha/Bourda at 20:00hrs at the Burnham Court.
The female segment will see and Inter-Guiana Games select team against their senior counterparts from Georgetown, Linden and New Amsterdam.
Other partners involved in the running of the tournament include Giftland OfficeMax, Guyana Lottery Company and White Castle Fish Shop while the organisers are currently in discussion with a major beverage company with the hope of having it join the event.