The National Community Basketball League (NCBL) is officially set to bounce off tomorrow at the Burnham Hard Courts, according to a press conference held on Wednesday at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Head Office.
Logistics Coordinator of the tournament, Kwame Mentor, said that the main aim off the league is to give back to the basketball community while reviving the sport.
“We were at this since January and our main emphasis is to give back to the community. We are also looking to revive the sport and build a court in one of the communities and I really think it is a much needed injection in the sport of basketball,” Mentor stated.
With the first place prize set at $500,000 along with second and third at $250,000 and $150,000 respectively, the league will add other features to make it an upgraded version of the Inter-Ward Championships.
Some of the new additions will be the introduction of dancing girls who will be outfitted by the Converse Store, while fans will have a chance to win a motor- car with a shot from the half court line. Once a shot is made by the fan, he/she enters a draw that will take place at the end of the league on June 30.
In the tournament upgrade, the Player-of-the-Night will receive prizes while the Most Valuable Player will receive a motor-cycle.
Along with these additions the organizers have also beefed up the way in which they will be keeping statistics of games by having trained personnel for various statistical areas.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony who was in attendance endorsed the league and complimented Mentor and national coach Bobby Cadogan for their initiative.
“Well there are not much signature events in basketball and we need to have these development programmes, especially at the senior level where competitions are not maintained. I look forward for this to be an annual event and not just a one off something.
“However, knowing Kwame (Mentor) and working with him on cultural things before, I know he works hard to get things done and his track record is a good one and for that the Ministry is behind him and is also endorsing the league,” Anthony stated at the press conference.
Anthony also indicated in his address to the media that he is looking forward to a shorter form of a basketball tournament in comparison to the fast-paced 10/10 and street football tournaments in Guyana.
Mentor also indicated that during the last weekend of the tournament he will be looking to bring in some National Basketball Association (NBA) players to conduct clinics and also some auctions which are set to be a ground breaker if they occur.
Giftland Office Max which is the main sponsor of the league saw Compton Bobb thanking Mentor for allowing Giftland to be a part of an opportunity to give back to Guyana, especially at the community level.
Director of Sport Neil Kumar also indicated his interest in the tournament, especially since it will be featuring the junior female squad that will participate in this year’s Inter-Guiana Games (IGG).
“Well the tournament will be good especially for the girls and hopefully it can bring out the best in them to do better later in the year,” Kumar commented.
However, although the league has garnered various sponsors, the organizers are still in search of a major beverage sponsor for the tournament.
Meanwhile tip-off is scheduled for 18:00hrs at the Burnham Court and the organizers are urging fans to come out and support the league.
