Phillip George Legacy Basketball C/ships starts tonight

Nov 16, 2012 Sports

By Edison Jefford
The Colts’ Phillip George Legacy Basketball Championships bounces off tonight at the Burnham Basketball Court after a gala Opening Ceremony that is scheduled for 5:30pm.

Ryan Stephney

The Opening Ceremony will feature an address from the Colts Basketball Club President, Michael Singh among other officials. According to Coach, Vijay Panday, there will also be prayer and the Crystallite Dance Group on the opening programme.
Panday confirmed yesterday that the Guyana Basketball Officials Council (GBOC) will manage the officiating of both the Division I and III tournaments. He said that it is expected that referees display a high standard indicative of the level of the competition.
“We will have high standards during this tournament because you know Phillip would have liked that and this is in his honour. We’re putting all the systems in place, including additional lights at the Court for this tournament,” Panday told Kaieteur Sport.
He indicated that the club’s new president, Singh, has done his utmost to ensure that all bases are covered. According to Panday, basketball needed such an event at this time of the year with not a lot happening in the sport. He said it will be an annual contest.
The Original Palm Court, Nigel Hinds and Associates and Giftland OfficeMax are main sponsors of competition with the top club walking away with $100,000 in the Division I contest; following the Opening Ceremony, Georgetown’s top two ranked clubs gets into action.
In the first game, Pepsi Sonics take on Ravens. This clash will see Ryan Melville, Aubrey Austin and Jason Squires of Sonics come up against some names that won the 2012 Mackeson Smooth Moves tournament, including Ryan Stephney, Jermaine Slater, Ryan Gullen and Akeem Kanhai of the Ravens.
Pepsi Sonics has been among the top four teams in Georgetown for the last three years, which is a fact that Ravens should not take for granted tonight. The first game is expected to be the keener of the two battles on the opening night.
The second game will feature, Pacesetters against the plaisance-based Guardians. Travis Burnett, Steffon Gillis, Royston Siland, Clement Brusche and Elton Jefford Jr. are among the key players for Pacesetters against the relatively new Guardians at this level.
However, Andrew Hercules will look to continue to build his team momentum against his senior counterpart, Robert Cadogan and the Pacesetters. Following their shock defeat to Colts in Pepsi’s tournament a few weeks ago, Pacesetters will not be taking any team for granted.

Steffon Gillis

George, who was also known as ‘One Foot’, ‘Coach Man’ and ‘Mr. Fundamental’, was 63 years-old at the time of his death. The renowned late Colts’ Coach piloted the careers of many national junior and senior players and was a consistent visitor to Burnham Court.