By Rawle Toney
Two weeks after the tragic passing of former Courts Pacesetters player Kevin Worrell, the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Ass-ociation (GABA) will resume their five-a-side basketball tournament in his honour.
Worrell, who played for Courts Pacesetters, met his demise on October 5 while playing in the tournament that was supposed to mark the return of basketball to the Burnham Court, during a game that involved his club and Maccabees. He collapsed and was taken to the Georgetown Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. He was laid to rest last Saturday.
Following his passing the GABA had said that they would resume the competition and thought it was the honourable thing to rename the competition which is to become an annual fixture on the GABA calendar, the “Kevin Worrell Memorial Five-A-side”.
The day’s proceedings will bounce off from 1600hrs with the continuation of the remaining first round matches. In game one, Maccabees (B) facing the Courts Pacesetters (B) followed by Pepsi Sonics squaring off against the GABA executives.
Courts Pacesetters (A) will meet Bounty Colts (C) while Nets and Courts Pacesetters (D) will do battle to wrap up the first round.
Four teams have already advanced to the second round following victories when the tournament was initially started on October 5, namely Full Force, Bounty Colts (A) of which Worrell was a player and was playing for at the time of his death, Courts Pacesetters (C) and the Beepat Scorpions.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three finishing teams of the tournament, with the winners taking home $50,000, second place $30,000 and third place $20,000.
Meanwhile the GABA will be officially bouncing off its 2008-09 basketball season on Saturday, November 1 with all matches being played outdoors at the same venue.
In that regard, the GABA is calling on all teams to complete their registration and affiliation forms and submit them to the GABA office or any GABA executive as soon as possible.