ORGANISER of the Rawle Toney/Mackeson 3×3 Basketball Classic, Rawle Toney, disclosed that there is a high possibility of contesting the tournament in the latter part of December.

Toney also told Chronicle Sport that this year he will be collaborating with Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) in efforts to produce more versatile competition and also secure a spot on their Basketball calendar.

He said, “Persons are getting serious with the 3-on-3 format, so everyone who wants to play needs to be registered. Most of the clubs expressed their interest to play but some declined because they are not comfortable to play during the pandemic.

In 2019, the organiser amassed a commendable number of sponsors as well as participants for the hosting of the event which took place under lights at the Burnham Basketball Court.

The entities which made the event possible included Ansa McAl – the title sponsor, the Guyana Lottery Company’s Let’s Bet Sports, Fireside Grill, JD Carn ICT Guyana Inc., Allegiance Corporations Inc., National Sports Commission (NSC), Trophy Stall, Kester Gomes and Chung’s Global Enterprise.

While over 25 teams competed for the top prize of $300 000, it was won by Pitbulls 3.0 after a 22–12 blowout over Smooth in the finale.

The two-day tournament which had a 4-point feature also featured Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation’s (GABF) National 3-point Shoot Out.

However, for the hosting of the event next month, Toney and the Association will be battling to implement the COVID-19 guidelines which are expected to be somewhat of a challenge.

He disclosed that they are currently trying to secure an audience with the Minister of Sport and National COVID-19 Task Force to attain the recommended guidelines that would allow for the smooth flow of the event.

Suspension and Restart

In early March the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) was one of the first international federations to have suspended all its international competitions due to the pandemic. This caused many domestic competitions in the region to be suspended following government directions.

FIBA has already released its document which is primarily for use by National Basketball Federations and Basketball Leagues, who are looking for guidance in the restart of basketball in their jurisdiction, particularly if there is a lack of Government oversight on the management of the COVID-19 virus in sport.

The document, which is available on the FIBA site, targets key questions to ask before a restart, guidelines for a restart, initial preparation and potential restart plan items.

Venue conundrum

“Behind closed doors” is the phrase mostly used when any sport is about to resume during this pandemic. Though some cases may mean it literally, there are only a few venues around Georgetown that would allow this feat to be achieved.

Major concern in this aspect is to control the crowd at an outdoor facility which led to the option of trying to acquire the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) for the event.

Sadly, in April the CASH was prepared as a quarantine facility to house at least 350 persons. The quarantine facility was meant to house those who may have had contact with persons tested for the coronavirus.

The other venue is the National Gymnasium, which was used as a storage facility for the stockpiling of materials for the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) in the previous Government’s multi-faceted approach to bring relief to citizens.

Another option he may need to explore is the outdoor Gymnasium Courts which are laid behind chain-link fences. This may prove effective in the planning stage if the possibility exists to acquire that section of the venue.

Pandemic effect

The bottom line is, ‘Everyone was affected from COVID-19’. In a Sport battling for recognition locally, this season the competition took a hit which sees a minor reduction in the prize monies, but other accolades remain intact the organiser disclosed and as mentioned earlier, the participation bracket was shortened.

With a 22:30hrs to 04:00hrs curfew in place there is no doubt the times will also be readjusted to the earlier parts of the evening.

The silver lining still remains in the viewing aspect and sponsor support for the tournament. The first tournament was live-streamed on social media and that facet remains untouched while sponsors also disclosed their willingness to hop on board the tournament.

Nevertheless, Toney is adamant to get this event off the ground for the love of the sport and the much-needed first step in the return of any sport. He had high praise for the sponsors that made a major impact, such as the Ansa McAl, Guyana Lottery Company and Fireside Grill. He mentioned that without these entities the success of the inaugural tournament would have never been possible.