– Andrew Ifill MVP trophy up for grabs

ONE thousand dollars ($1,000), compliments of FireSide Grill, will be awarded to each player who successfully completes a four-point shot at the upcoming Mackeson/Rawle Toney 3×3 Basketball Classic, which will be held at the Burnham Basketball Court in Georgetown from November 9-10.

On Wednesday, Rawle Toney, principal of the entity, which is located on Garnett Street (between Republic and DeAbreu Streets), stated that ‘FireSide Grill N Chill’ felt it was imperative to align themselves with the tournament since they see it as a way of supporting grassroot development of sport in Guyana, with a novelty they have themed ‘Fire Shot’.

According to Toney, proprietor Simeon Francis is a life-long fan of the sport of basketball, but since his establishment of ‘FireSide’ he has yet to find a tournament that fits his passion for the sport, until now.

Toney said the ‘Fire Shot’ will change the dynamics of the tournament, since it changes the way players will want to think, given the fact that they will immediately be rewarded for their heroics.

The organiser, Toney, relayed that Francis was never known for taking centre-stage of anything, but he’s more known for setting himself apart.

It was known that FireSide will be paying homage to the late Andrew ‘Mr Dunk’ Ifill, a former national player who passed away in Trinidad and Tobago recently.

Toney said that he’s overwhelmed at the fact that FireSide wanted to name the Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy in Ifill’s honour, and that “shows the company is more than just giving to players, but also showing respect to someone who devoted his life to the sport of basketball.”

The other big announcement was; the tournament is recognised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) for which Toney thanked the support of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABF).

Within Toney’s classic, the GABF will host a National three-point shootout for which the winner pockets $25,000.

The winning team of the 3×3 classic will pocket $300,000, while second will take home $100,000 and third $50,000.

The Most Valuable Player in the final will receive one pair basketball sneakers of his choice and a trophy, compliments of ‘FireSide Grill N Chill’.

The tournament will employ a round-robin/knockout format, and close to 50 teams have registered, which has left the organiser having to turn away some teams.

Chung’s Global Enterprise, the Guyana Lottery Company’s Let’s Bet Sports, Trophy Stall, Kester Gomes’ STUFF and Ansa McAl Trading are the tournament’s sponsors so far.