Following the successful staging of the second edition of the Georgetown leg, the maiden Linden version of the Rawle Toney 3 x 3 Basketball Classic was officially launched yesterday at the Palm Court Sports Bar on Main Street, in the capital city. The one-day tournament is scheduled to commence on April 23 at the Richmond Hill residence of the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Kashif Muhammad. Three teams from Georgetown, alongside five entrants from the mining town are pencilled to participate. Winner of the event will pocket $100,000, while the second and third place finishers will collect $75,000 and $50,000 respectively. Meanwhile, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the 3-point shoot-out victor will be presented with cash incentives.
Rawle Toney, coordinator of the event, during his brief remarks stated, “The idea of the event is to spark interest back in basketball in Linden and to bring something new to Linden. Additionally nothing is happening in Linden in terms of sport so this will be the first sporting event in Linden.”
He further stated that the overall intent and objective is to relocate the tournament in the near future to the Mining Town, which will create a sporting activity that is synonymous with Linden.
“The intention is for the event to be a staple of the Linden community in a similar vein to the Kashif and Shanghai Football. That is the objective going forward”, he explained. Toney further disclosed, “Each team will receive a participation or appearance fee of $25,000. This is being done to set a precedent in basketball for promoters of the sport.”
Meanwhile, Hennessy Brand Manager Atina Samad during brief remarks, affirmed that the brand is pleased to support the development of sport, adding that Hennessey via its community initiative, has commenced the process of refurbishing courts, an enterprise, which it intends to continue in the foreseeable future.
She further stated that the brand is synonymous with the National Basketball Association (NBA), and that one of the primary aims is to marry sporting development with entertainment.
Similarly, FK Sports Proprietor Felix Walker affirmed that the company’s passion for sport development is unmatched, adding that the event provides the perfect opportunity and platform for the establishment to aid in the development of the discipline.
