THE newly-elected executives of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) will bounce-off their on-court action this Sunday (March 15) with the hosting of the first-ever Andrew Ifill Knockout Basketball tournament.

The tournament will celebrate the life of the late Andrew Ifill, a former national player who passed away last October at age 40.

“He (Ifill) was an exceptional basketball player of Guyana and we would like to ensure that this tournament is done annually,” Jermaine Slater, president of GABA, said at the official launch of the tournament yesterday at Palm Court, Main Street.

The tournament will be contested in the Open and Under-21 divisions. Slater explained the reason for sticking to these two categories.

“Our administration has moved to exclude Second Division from our tenure to try and have more basketball played at the Open level, which would give more persons a chance to actually play the game. A lot of teams have a lot of players and sometimes these players don’t get to see court,” Slater reasoned.

Slater added that teams can put forward two teams per division for this tournament, creating a situation that allows for more games to be played and players to test their skills against a wider pool of competitors.

All matches will be played at Burnham Court, Georgetown. The match days are March 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 29, April 1, 3 and 5.

The teams are U-21 – Eagles, Colts, Sonics, UG-A and UG-B. Open – Guardians, Colts, UG-A, Vikings, Sonics, Pacesetters A and B, Eagles, Kobras and Ravens.

The tournament will be played under FIBA rules.