-organisers hope to develop Burnham Court and improve basketball in Georgetown
The Colts Basketball Club hopes that the memory and philosophy of their late coach Phillip George will be immortalized in the local basketball arena and they intend to do so by staging the inaugural Phillip George Legacy Basketball tournament from November 16 to December 16 at the Burnham Basketball Court.
The tournament will involve the eight first division teams who will compete in the first division Super Eight competition as well as eight division three teams competing in a straight-knockout tournament. The first division teams will be split into two groups and will engage in round robin play to determine the top four teams to enter the knockout format. Group A comprises Ravens, Colts, Pepsi Sonics and Eagles, while Group B includes Pacesetters, Republic Bank Nets, Panthers and Guardians.
President of the Colts basketball club Michael Singh told members of the media at Saturday’s launching that it pained their club to observe the present state of basketball in Georgetown. Singh said that it was heavy on their club to try to affect change in basketball during this “tough time” for the sport while at the same time remembering George close to a year after his death.
“We remember him as our leader, our mentor, our father and more importantly a great disciplinarian,” Singh said. The Colts president said that the virtues that George embodied ought to be instilled in the basketball players and they hope help to facilitate the revitalization of the sport. Singh also stated his club was willing to work with the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GAB) and the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) to ensure that the tournament becomes one of the premier local basketball tournaments. Even if the collaboration is not forged with the requisite associations, Singh said that Colts will press on with the support of sponsors to make the tournament an annual event.
“We would love to have this tournament become an annual event that closes off the basketball calendar as the premier basketball competition to commemorate the memory of Phillip George and you can rest assured that we will do all that we can along with our sponsors to see that become a reality,” Singh added.
National coach Robert Cadogan lauded the efforts of the Colts basketball club and stated that it was very fitting to organise such a grand event for George who he said was a man who did so much for basketball in Guyana. Cadogan was also supportive of the intentions of the club to use the proceeds of the tournament to develop the Burnham basketball facility.
The winning team will earn a championships trophy and $100,000 donated by the Original Palm Court while the second place finishers will also be awarded a trophy and 50,000. In the third division knockout competition, the first place team will receive $35,000, while second place team will pocket $15,000. Singh also stated that since George placed so much emphasis on the fundamentals of the game, there will be awards for the most fundamentally sound player and the most valuable player.
Other sponsors of the tournament include Nigel Hinds and Associates, GiftlandOfficemax and Paladin Defence Security Company.
