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National Schools’ Basketball Festival returns
-stakeholders launch 2013 competition
By Edison Jefford
Against the background of setting up a permanent and fundamental structure for the success of basketball at all levels, stakeholders yesterday launched the National Schools Basketball Festival (NSBF), which has become Guyana’s benchmark competition.
The premier competition for schools enters its eighth year after its first edition in 2006 among 18 teams; the NSBF showed steady growth over the years, expanding to the main counties with over 50 schools participating in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
Founding Director and Events Coordinator of Youth Basketball
Director and Events Coordinator of YBG Chris Bowman (3rd right) shares the head table at the launch with from right, Digicel’s Shonnet Moore, DOS Neil Kumar, Anjulie Beharry, Banks DIH’ Troy Peters and Rayad Boyce.
Guyana (YBG), under which the NSBF is usually held, Chris Bowman, told the media yesterday that the programme will begin to set up structures so that players do not drift into oblivion.
“We want to ensure that teams and players graduate upwards and not fall, as we’ve noticed in the past. Hence, we’ll also focus on players’ education, seminars on the use of illicit drugs etc so that we can consolidate this already strong project,” Bowman said.
The NSBF Founder believes that the programme has fortified itself nationally in the absence of a similar strategic approach. “Without NSBF there will be no real test of national school basketball as indicative in only one Georgetown team winning since 2006,” he noted.
Bowman informed that the NSBF has always been a collaborative effort with the National Sports Commission (NSC). He applauded sponsors, Digicel, Banks DIH and Beharry’s for their support over the years, underscoring their importance to the programme.
Director of Sport (DOS), Neil Kumar told the media that the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and Ministry of Education are fully supportive of the competition.”The tournament has become one of the reservoirs for the development of basketball,” Kumar stated.
He informed that Government will be implementing a nationwide project to erect some movable backboards at key venues across Guyana including National Stadium, National Park, Mackenzie Sports Club and at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall tarmac.
“So while the federation is not functioning, we have this programme (NSBF) from which we will select our IGG (Inter-Guiana Games) team, because one of the requirements (to play at the IGG) is that you must be in school,” the Director of Sport reiterated.
Public Relations Manager of the main sponsor of the competition, Digicel, Shonnet Moore stated that the telecommunications giants are happy with the decentralisation of the event to reach those main counties and will continue to support such initiatives.
“It is not only about the sport, it is ensuring student-athletes become responsible young men and women,” Moore said, adding that Digicel will also be onboard with the student-education seminars.
Apart from Moore, Communications Manager at Banks DIH Limited, Troy Peters and Marketing Director of Beharry’s, Anjulie Beharry also spoke. Peters said that Banks DIH is pleased to once again be associated with the NSBF under its Powerade brand with Beharry stressing that it’s very important to holistically develop young student-athletes.
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