By Calvin Chapman

THE historic first One-Guyana Basketball Premier League, which is being organised by the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), has taken a one-month break, following two rounds of action in both conferences.

The league is headed by GDF 2nd Lieutenant Jermaine Slater.
According to Slater, this tournament is already reaping the benefits of having basketball being played consistently at the senior level, something that both players and past administrators have longed for, but never seen materialise until now.

“One of the main impacts of the tournament, thus far,” he said, “is that known players from the other counties (Essequibo and Berbice), and even unknown players, are asking how they can be a part of it next season. They love the direction, the hype, the gameplay that they are seeing, and most importantly, the organisation.”

Slater, who is a vice-president of the Guyana Basketball Federation (GBF), went on to say: “One of the aspects of the tournament that we have received much positive feedback from is that we have a website now, where players and anyone can view the statistics, scores and standings, hassle-free. The website is very user-friendly; anyone can use it.
“The traction is building; we are reaching far and wide with our social media as well, and I already anticipate the second season will be even more incredible, with a larger pool of players, which is part of what we (GABA) have envisioned.”

The administrator praised the teams for the professionalism they’ve shown thus far. “I have noticed the players and coaches are taking this tournament very seriously, despite competitive basketball being dormant in Guyana for a while, with teams recording games, doing video analysis, training with intent and seriousness, which will increase the quality of the tournament,” he said, adding: “The constant increase in fan turnout for each match day is evidence that the league is gaining traction, and only good gameplay can help sustain it.”

In conclusion, Slater hinted that the under-23 players will have a similar league in the works soon, and thanked the Government of Guyana for their support in making the League a reality.
The official sponsors of the One-Guyana Premier League, which resumes next weekend (October 7 at the National Gymnasium), includes the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport; G-Boats Guyana; National Sports Commission; and Guyana Basketball Federation.

There are 14 teams in the One-Guyana league, and they are grouped into the Harpy Eagle Conference that is currently being led by Ravens Basketball Club, and the Jaguar Conference, which is being led by Eagles Basketball Club.

During the league, teams from the Jaguar and Harpy Eagle Conferences will face each other, twice, within their respective groups. The top four teams will progress to the playoffs, where the first-ranked team will compete against the fourth-ranked team, and the second-ranked team will take on the third-ranked team. The victors of these playoff matches will move on to the Conference Finals, where they will engage in a best-of-three series to determine the finalists for the National Championship.