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Gullen named MVP at NLE Awards Ceremony
By Edison Jefford
GABF President, Godwin McPherson (right) poses with the awardees Wednesday night after the NLE Award Ceremony at Water Chris Hotel.
It is extensively known in basketball that the coveted award for any major championships is the Most Valuable Player (MVP) prize, which often goes through a systematic series of debates on performances before candidates are known.
The recently concluded Next Level Entertainment (NLE) Championships produced many outstanding performers that included Royals’ Dwayne Roberts, Ravens’ Darcel Harris and last but not least, Kings’ Steve Neils Jr.
But at the end of the event, an unlikely candidate emerged from the shadows to snatch the coveted MVP award from the jaws of those frontrunners. Ravens’ Ryan Gullen was silent throughout the championship but yet effective.
Gullen was given the MVP of the tournament award for chalking up a total 44 points, 29 rebounds, 8 block shots and 3 steals. His general statistical performance was sufficient to convince Technical Director, Dennis Clarke.
Gullen’s award was worth a beautiful trophy and cash incentive while Roberts, who was adjudged Best Defensive Player for his 58 rebounds, 18 steals and 8 block shots, also got a trophy and gift certificate from Exclusive Styles.
Mark Wills copped the other individual prize that was handed out at the simple ceremony at Water Chris Hotel. Wills received a trophy and Exclusive Styles gift certificate for the most three–point jump shots, totalling five, in a game.
Ravens officially collected the ultimate championship trophy and a cheque for $300,000 while Royals’ second place was worth $200,000. Kings got $100,000 for the third spot while Jets received $50,000 for fourth place.
Director of ‘Next Level’, Travis Shepherd congratulated Ravens on their achievement in the 2009 event. “They worked hard and played hard”, he said, while thanking the national federation and sub–associations for the collaboration.
“Basketball is a sport that we can try to build to a higher level. We are continually asking companies to come on board with us. We had increased the prize money this year to help teams purchase gear and things they need,” Shepherd informed.
President of the Georgetown sub–association, Trevor Rose indicated that the tournament, in his estimation, was a tremendous success owing to the professional organisational skill with which many of the varying tasks were executed.
“We look forward to similar efforts to bring basketball back to its rightful place in Guyana. Lets work together to bring basketball back,” Rose encouraged while taking the opportunity to thank the Georgetown–based Ravens.
In his brief address, President of the national federation, Godwin McPherson said that the most striking phenomena during the championships were the potency of the organisation and discipline on display each night of competition.
“NLE is on the right path. This is the kind of discipline we want around the sport. These are good signs if you want to continue. Sponsors would want to come to us. They (NLE) have done the right things,” McPherson believed.
The championships attracted 16 clubs, eight from Georgetown and eight from Linden, in a mammoth playoff for supremacy and a year’s bragging rights and as Clarke indicated in his brief notes, “the tournament was well supported”.
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