‘Next Level’ basketball officially jumps off

Feb 21, 2009 Sports

---

– Kings come in at eight from Linden

makes a point during the launch of the NLE Championship yesterday.  From left are NLE Directors, Jamaal Douglas and Travis Shepherd with Georgetown basketball officials, Robert Cadogan and Joel Loncke.”] By Edison Jefford
“They are back with a bang and we hope it is a bang because I think basketball fans and enthusiasts in Guyana look forward to good basketball that includes a high level of play, decent discipline and good team performances”.
Those were the opening sentiments of Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) President, Retired Colonel Godwin McPherson in introducing, undoubtedly, one of the biggest local basketball tournaments.
The Next Level Entertainment (NLE) Basketball Extravaganza officially returned to the GABF calendar yesterday when luminaries of the event met at the Water Chris Hotel on Quamina and Waterloo Streets for the launch.
“Year one was a huge success, year two was another success but there were some snafu in year two which resulted in the Directors having second thoughts,” McPherson told the media about the event’s absence last year.
After Linden’s Kashif and Shanghai Kings had beaten Ravens in 2006 to win the coveted NLE Championship, the event returned the following year where the title was returned to Georgetown owing to Courts Pacesetters’ win.
But no competition was held last year because of the “economic situation in the country” according to NLE Director, Jamaal Douglas, who had briefed Kaieteur Sport last week during an exclusive interview about the event.
“They (NLE) were doing some restructuring, reorganising and rethinking and as a result year three was missing,” McPherson said, adding that the 2009 competition comes at an opportune time in the history of the sport.
“As you are aware, Guyana has made a bid to host the Caribbean Championships this year and it is likely that this activity will take place in August and so this action of ‘Next Level’ this time is most welcomed,” he observed.
The former Guyana Defence Force Colonel indicated that the NLE tournament will give the public, fans, enthusiasts and even journalist an opportunity to see the players that will be showcased for national selection.
“I want to say to you that we embrace the efforts of ‘Next Level’ and we are giving them a hundred percent support. I have already collaborated with the Presidents of the Linden and Georgetown associations,” McPherson optimised.
In a twist from previous years when the tournament attracted ‘nationwide’ participation, only the top eight clubs from the Garden City and the Mining Town will battle each other for the $250,000 first place prize this year.
Douglas told the media yesterday that “over $700,000 in cash and prizes we will be given away [along with] a best shooter, best defender and MVP (Most Valuable Player); we are just happy to be back in basketball,” he added.
While pleading for public support, Douglas’ counterpart, Travis Shepherd outlined that a “lot of activities [are] planned in terms of half time shows and giveaways,” which are expected to make the event truly unique.
“We are looking forward for full support from the public and we are guaranteeing that everyone can come out and watch nice clean basketball [and] played at its highest level,” Shepherd envisaged at the press conference.
While endorsing the competition, Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association Secretary Robert Cadogan, indicated that the event is extremely good for local basketball and more competitions of this magnitude are needed.
“We are fully endorsing this activity; we see it as a good move for local basketball as we need more competitions of this magnitude because it gives us an opportunity to assess our level of basketball,” Cadogan opined.
Apart from the $250,000 first place award, the second place team takes home a whopping $100,000 while third and fourth places get $50,000 and $25,000 respectively. Trophies and replicas are to compliment the cash prizes.
Kings’ NLE Championship Situation
As should be public knowledge by now, Kings were relegated to Division II after failing to participate in the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) Division I League under controversial circumstances a few weeks back.
The club had informed the LABA about their position to sit out the League with a known reason submitted. The LABA acted some months after in the midst of the League with a suspension and subsequent relegation.
With Kings now a second division club and the NLE Championship looking to attract the top eight first division clubs from both competing constituents, an obvious technical problem arose with Kings’ participation.
Kaieteur Sport sought clarification yesterday when McPherson was asked to comment on the position of the club in relation to the tournament. The GABF President was clear but yet philosophical in his response.
“All is well that ends well. My own position on where discipline is concerned is that we must respect the rules. I want to serve notice to clubs that there are rules and let us be a happy family following the rules,” he said.
“You can’t be in a house and not participate in the activities of the house. Where action was taken against Kings, I have no problem and no difficulty, but at all times I say once you’re going to take action, let the law prevail,” he added.
McPherson noted that, as a course of natural justice, the matter could have been amicably settled after both sides were satisfactorily heard. “You just don’t take action, you debate and then you arrive at a position,” he believed.
According to the retired Colonel, Kings will play in the competition on two bases: (a) at the request of the promoters and (b) on the development that there are only seven first division clubs in Linden minus Kings.
“The situation at this point is that, at first conceived, the promoters had thought about a widened net and thereby restricting the amount of clubs from Georgetown and Linden, well they have dropped the net,” he asserted.
“The sixteen teams will come from Georgetown and Linden – Linden only has seven first division clubs so to make the eight, the club that has just been relegated (Kings), at the request of the organisers, will be in the eight,” he informed.
But the inclusion of Kings presents a complex dilemma in the seeding arrangement of the competition since they will enter as number eight from Linden, which puts them in line to play the top team in Georgetown first.
It could go either way: Kings could be booted early from the tournament, which will open the floodgates or they could become the only Division II team to win a major Division I NLE Championship in the event’s short history.

---

---