ACTION in the eighth annual Victory Valley Royals-organised, Linden Schools Under-19 basketball championship bounces off this afternoon at 16:00hrs, with Linden Foundation Secondary taking on Wisburg Secondary at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court. In the second game of the day’s double-header, Christianburg/Wismar Secondary will go up against Linden Technical Institute from 18:00hrs.
At the launching of this year’s tournament held at the same venue last Wednesday, Georgetown’s Marian Academy defeated the defending champions Mackenzie High in an exhibition encounter, where the teams were decked out in the uniforms provided by the organisers.
The Haynes Foundation out of New Jersey, USA and Youth Basketball Guyana threw their support into this year’s tournament when they handed over an undisclosed sum to the organisers, as the championship seems destined for greater things in years to come.
In his brief remarks, secretary of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) Joseph Chapman told the participating schools, “The tournament has produced a number of players who would have graduated to become junior and senior nationals. To name a few –  senior national Akeem ‘The Dream’ Kanhai who is a ‘poster boy’ for telecommunications giant Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, Orin Rose, Marlon Pollydore and Chris Williams are all outstanding youth national products from this tournament.”
Senior Physical Education Officer Lindley Langhorne said “I don’t think it has been easy over the years to make you guys look this wonderful. Right around us we have the poster of former national captain James Brusch, who was committed to basketball.
“As Mr Chapman mentioned, we have also Kanhai, who was indeed committed to basketball and here you are in this year’s championship. Yes, you are here to play basketball, but are you committed, are you committed to the sport, to defending your turf as players, your team, your uniform and are you committed to that throughout this championship?
“We have Youth Basketball Guyana committed to this year’s basketball championship and it is fitting for all of us here to be committed to making this year’s championship a success.”
Apart from the defending champions, the schools who will be battling for supremacy are: Christianburg/Wismar Secondary, Linden Foundation Secondary, Linden Technical Institute, Wisburg Secondary and New Silvercity Secondary.