THE Youth Basketball Guyana organisation on Friday launched another edition of their famed National Schools Basketball Festival set to run off at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall later this month.

The NSBF which will field all the winners of the nationwide regional tournament converging for a week of high intensity action at the U14, U16 and U18 levels along with a girls category.

Co-director of YBG Wayne ‘Chris’ Bowman told the students gathered for the launch that the majority of players currently playing senior basketball has come out of their program which shows the competition success.

“For nearly two decades, the NSBF has been a beacon of hope and development for youth at the grass roots and school level across Guyana, over 80 per cent of the current national basketball players emerge from this very tournament, a statistic that speaks volumes about its value and enduring legacy,’ Bowman said.

According to the YBG executive, the tournament has stood the test of time because, “We pursued youth development with purpose, our success if built over the past several years on developing a progressive school aged basketball programme where student athletes across Guyana can be given the opportunity to play.”

Nicholas Fraser, head of the unit of Allied Arts at the Ministry of Education says that they have fully support Youth Basketball Guyana initiative said, “It’s a testament to the amount of time that Bowman and his team has put to this particular tournament, we have noted that from this tournament. We have been able to see a lot of basketball player come out of it, we have been able to see an inter Guiana games teams being selected and a number of tournaments have benefitted from this tournament.”

Assistant Director of sport Melissa Dow-Richardson encouraged the youths to make full use of the state-of-the-art facility, stating that, “Sport has become a revolutionary force, I say this not only in my capacity as deputy director of sports but as a former student of basketball, this facility means a great deal to me because when I wasn’t at school I was here, I was training and preparing not just for sports but for my life, my future.”

Edward B Beharry company Brand Manager Malisa Jeffers said, “We believe in the power of sports to uplift, empower and inspire and YBG has consistently showed his commitment to developing not just athletes but future leader, our support goes beyond branding and visibility, it’s an investment in the youth of Guyana. We are proud to contribute to a platform that encourages discipline, team work and excellence on and off the court.”

Major sponsors, KFC, through their Marketing Assistant Charmaine Farnum says the company is thrilled to support the schools tournaments.

She said, “Bring together talented youth people, encourages team work while also promoting a healthy active lifestyle, at KFC we believe in investing in the future and what better way than empowering our youth through sports, basketball teaches valuable skills such as discipline, perseverance and sportsmanship which is essential for both on and off the court.”

This year’s tournament will be sponsored by KFC Guyana, the National Sports Commission, Edward B. Beharry and company limited and other partners.

The organisers also announced that they will honour former national player and coach Dave Causeway by naming the female trophy after him.

The competition tips off Sunday June 29^th at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.