Latest update December 19th, 2024 3:22 AM
Pacesetters should easily bounce into Final Four
As Brusches Basketball Classic continues today
Royston Siland
Stephon Gillis
Naylon Loncke
By Edison Jefford
Defending champions, Courts Pacesetters should easily make its way to the Final Four of annual Brusches Basketball Classic tonight when they face Eagles, an emerging team that should not pose any serious challenges in the game.
Pacesetters won the inaugural tournament last year and will be looking for a repeat ahead of the start of the new season. The number one ranked Georgetown club and number two ranked Ravens are among the favourites in the event.
One has to ask why was Eagles even considered for invitation to a tournament that brings together the five best clubs in Linden with three from Georgetown including an unranked and definite wild card entry, Eagles basketball club. In fact, this newspaper did not even know the club was still functioning until the schedule for the Brusche’s Classic was released. However, now that they are included, Eagles will provide valuable warm up for the Courts-sponsored team.
Because Kaieteur Sport has little information on the players that comprise Eagles, Courts Pacesetters will come in for most of the assessment. It really should be a walkover but a window of opportunity is always there for underdogs.
That window has to be to apply defensive pressure to Pacesetters’ main offensive players, which has worked for other teams in the past. Pacesetters do not handle pressure well and prefers largely to develop a lead and coast to victory.
So the first option for Eagles has to be to keep the game offensively close and hope that a collapse befalls Pacesetters in the last minutes of the final quarter. However, that is sheer wishful thinking but its Eagles’ only outside chance.
Unless Eagles made significant drafts during the last season, which is impossible because the window for that closes in January, they are not likely to compete with shooting guard, Stephon Gills or national forward Royston Siland.
Those two players are among the best in Guyana even if they face seasoned campaigners. The logic to invite Eagles to a Division I tournament when they have not played at even the Division II level in recent times is unexplainable.
Pacesetters will have a field day with quality players such as Hugh Arthur, Aubrey Smith, Clement Brusche, Naylon Loncke and a host of others. The club works very hard to have the successes they have had. It will continue tonight!
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