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GABA launches Glitzy National Super Ward
IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! GABA President, Trevor Rose in flanked by, left to right, Giftland OfficeMax’s Compton Bobb, GABA Secretary, Robert Cadogan and GABA Vice-President, Kelvin Simon at the launch of yesterday’s National Super Ward Basketball Championships.
Mackeson, GT&T among major sponsors
By Edison Jefford
The wait for basketball’s ‘flagship’ event is over. Basketball players in Guyana have been waiting for their catalyst, and it came in a major way yesterday with the much-anticipated launch of the Mackeson National Super Ward.
New life was breathed into basketball in Guyana with the impressive structure of perhaps the biggest basketball tournament to hit these shores in the New Millennium. Ball players and enthusiasts have waited on this event for months.
The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) had first mulled the event last September. It will bring together the ten best basketball-playing communities in the country for 14 nights of entertaining basketball.
The Facts and Roses office was abuzz yesterday as Ansa McAl’s Brand Manager, Nigel Worrel, GABA President, Trevor Rose and Secretary, Robert Cadogan were among those who brought the news the sport has been anticipating.
Apart from Ansa McAl, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), Gizmo and Gadgets, Giftland OfficeMax, Toney’s Auto Spares, Stain Masters and Cops Security are among the other major sponsors of the competition.
The Mackeson National Super Ward Basketball Championships will doll out the largest prize money given to the winner of a basketball tournament in recent history as $500,000 will be awarded to the Ward that tops the field of ten. The second place team will pocket $250,000 while third and fourth places will take home $150,000 and $75,000 respectively. Kaieteur Sport was informed that $4.7 million was the budgeted amount to run the mega basketball competition.
The Most Valuable Player of the event will receive Lebron James’ latest sneakers valued at $25,000 and a cash incentive of $10,000. Trophies and cash prizes will also be given to the Most Defensive Player and the players with the most assists and most rebounds.
“We want to turn this event into our Premier League where players can earn stipends to play. We want to develop this into a Semi-Professional League,” Rose said, adding that it is time basketball attain that level in Guyana.
The Georgetown sub-association will uniform the ten invited teams that have a deadline of today to submit their respective squads. The association have met with some teams and other stakeholders while more meetings are scheduled.
Initially, the event had set out eight teams to compete but to give more players the chance to perform before the national selectors in a year that has three international competitions outlined Kitty/Campbellville and South Ruimveldt were included.
Both teams finished among the top five in the Georgetown Inter-Ward contest and have a very firm background. The teams were divided into two groups with the top two reaching the semi-finals scheduled for this month end. In Group ‘A’ are North Ruimveldt, New Amsterdam, East Coast, Kitty/Campbellville with Linden’s Christianburg/Wismar completing that group. Group ‘B’ has East Bank, South Ruimveldt, Albouystown/Charlestown, Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust and Linden’s Central Mackenzie.
Each team is entitled to three guest players that must have no affiliation or be living in the Ward. Transportation will be provided for all the out-of-town teams. This newspaper was informed that the event will change the face of the sport.
The Cliff Anderson Sports Hall will get a face-lift with re-wiring of the game clock and repainting of the dull basketball markings on the court. To add to the international mood and atmosphere, there will also be side attractions.
Cheerleaders, Dancers and Local Artists will be performing every night while the Kevin Lawrence Lien Trophy will be displayed and his jersey hoisted. A moment of silence will also be observed for the late player, who was eagerly anticipating the event.
Season tickets are the only tickets that will be pre-sold for $10,000. The holders of season tickets are entitled to one guest while the pass gets them into all the games. Prelim games attract an entrance fee of $500 while the entrance fee for the semi-final and final is $1000.
The event is part of the Georgetown Basketball Advancement Programme with support from the Linden Amateur Basketball Association and Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation.
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