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Pitbulls snap at $1M to become Champs
By Edison Jefford
California Square in East Ruimveldt was transformed into a hive of basketball activity and entertainment Saturday night when Ansa McAl Limited, under its Mackeson brand, hosted the second edition of its Smooth Moves 3-on-3 Final.
Mackeson Brand Manager, Jamaal Douglas (second, left) pose with the winning Pitbulls team as they celebrate winning $1M in the Smooth Moves 3-on-3 Basketball Contest with the Mackeson Girls and their supporters Saturday night at California Square, East Ruimveldt.
The East Ruimveldt venue hosted the six best teams from across Guyana in what was one of the best moments of the 2012 tournament. After the group prelims, Mackeson promotions at intervals and Stereo Sonic’s ‘juggling’, it was the Ravens-originated Pitbulls that tore into what was a historical night for the sport in Guyana.
Hundreds of patrons swarmed the venue to witness six of the best street-ball teams in the country compete for $1M winner-take-all. It was the brutal assault of the Pitbulls that had no mercy on its victims that led to them being $1M richer in less than 12 hours.
The script could not have favoured Pitbulls better after Colts drew a ‘bye’ to the final, they knew that they just had to get past defending champions, Pacesetters ‘A’ in their semi-final and the rest would be history. The plot was perfect and characters undaunted.
The Ryan Gullen, Ryan Stephney, Jermaine Slater and Akeem ‘The Dream’ Kanhai combination fearlessly battled against the tough Pacesetters ‘A’ team, before winning their game 12-11 in the final five seconds after Gullen finished a lob from Stephney.
The result was shocking for Pacesetters, who obviously lacked the game plan that earned them a title in the inaugural competition last year. Travis ‘Blurr’ Burnett is not known for jump-shooting but yet he was shooting the ball more than he usually does, assuming shooting guard, Steffon Gillis’ role.
Pacesetters’ lack of a game plan played into the Pitbulls’ pen, and once there, they had no escape from the team that relentlessly attacked them. Pitbulls went on to rip apart Colts 9-6 in the Grand Finale, which could have been anybody’s guess based on superiority.
Shelroy Thomas, veteran forward, Dane Kendall, Stephon ‘Penny’ Henry and Tyrone Hamid had had a fairytale journey to the final, but Pitbulls was too much of a superior team for them. It was as clear as the Mackeson-branded venue on an epic night of basketball.
No other basketball competition at any level offers a cash prize of $1M. The money and the fame had brought teams together from as far as Linden, New Amsterdam and Den Amstel but only the six top teams from the nationwide competition made it to Saturday’s Final.
Apart from Pacesetters ‘A’, Pitbulls and Colts, the other teams in the final included Linden-based Jets #1, Full Clips and Georgetown-based Slash; before the semi-final and Grand Finale Saturday night, Colts had romped pass Jets #1 10-9, Pacesetters ‘A’ had beaten Slash 12-8 and Pitbulls got the better of Full Clips 11-10 in the group elimination round.
There was an entertainment break with Mackeson promotions ongoing and females competing in Gangnam Style dance contests for prize monies.
The semi-final and final received adequate intro for a great night of basketball rivalries that is second to none in Guyana. Following the Final, the renowned local reggae artiste, Jory officially brought the curtains down.
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