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LABA Basketball Festival…Kings, Pistons collide in tonight’s final
By Edison Jefford
Steve Neils Jnr
Nevin Grenville
Quincy Jones
A gripping rematch of last year’s national Division One final is set to take place tonight at the Mackenzie Sports Club court, Linden. The two teams are familiar foes and will certainly be looking to ascertain bragging rights.
Kashif and Shanghai Kings will battle nemesis Wismar Pistons in the final of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association’s (LABA) Basketball Festival, while Victory Valley Royals will take on Jets in the preceding third place game.
Marvin Hartman
Pistons will remember last year when they completely outplayed Kings in the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation national super–eight playoffs. But whether they can achieve a similar outcome against an organised Kings is to be proven.
Kings had blamed their shock defeat last year on the reshuffling of their roster after several players left to form the new club, Patriots. They will not have the leisure of an excuse after tonight since they had long awaited this opportunity.
Guard Steve Neils Jr. seem to be in good form for Kings as he led them offensively throughout the tournament. There is also the threat of the band of junior players now plying their skills at the senior first division level for the team.
Orin Rose looked on point from beyond the arc while Marvin Hartman should not have a problem with Pistons’ defence. The team, however, has a weakness at the bottom with the absence of the injured Jason Alonzo.
Pistons’ coach, Raphael Damon, who is rapidly growing as one of the better coaches in the country, will depend on his usual offensive cast for a big night. Nevin Grenville, Quincy Jones and Trevor Profitt have to perform to beat Kings.
The Wismar–based team is usually tight defensively. That was evident in their semi–final game last weekend when they kept Royals’ centre, Dwayne ‘Sugar’ Roberts in check, forcing him unto the bench on several occasions because of foul trouble.
Damon is expected to use the same ‘smother’ technique against the key offensive players for Kings. The main contrast between the sides is that Pistons is a known defensive team while Kings usually go high on the offensive end.
The game tonight will decide whether Pistons’ national title last year was authentic or just a coincidence. Kings will be out to prove that they only loaned the accolade to Pistons. The game is ripe with revenge and steeped in déjà vu.
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