The Anguilla Amatuer Basketball Association wishes to announce the commencement of the inaugural Smith’s ICT & Security Services 13U Basketball Tournament.
The tournament is designed to bridge the gap between players who are transitioning from the primary to secondary level but who may not be skillful enough to play in the 15U league. The tournament successfully ensures that young men who play at the primary level remain engaged in basketball once they move on to high school. It is only open to players age 13 and under. The event brings young men from all across the island to participate in friendly yet fiercely competitive matches. Originally scheduled to be held in Island Harbour, the games have now been scheduled at various courts across the island due to ongoing lighting issues at the Island Harbour Basketball Court.
Four teams from across the island have registered for the tournament. They are the Bandits, Top Hill, Jr. Hoyas & Alpha Wolves from Island Harbour, North Hill, Stoney Ground & The Valley respectively.
This year’s tournament has been fully sponsored by local businessman Mr. Dwayne Smith of Smith’s ICT & Security Services. Mr. Smith approached the Anguilla BasketBall Association and expressed a strong desire to contribute to youth basketball in Anguilla. A former amatuer basketball player himself, Mr. Smith knows first hand the importance of promoting and providing recreational activities for young men in Anguilla. He has gone beyond just sponsoring one team but has covered all costs associated with the entire tournament. These costs include, but are not limited to, T-Shirts for all players, trophies & medals and water for all teams. Mr. Smith feels blessed to be in a position to sponsor the tournament and always remembers the quotation, “ At the end of the day, it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back”.
The first set of games were held on Monday 17th July at the Island Harbour Basketball Court in front of a large and supportive audience. The first game was played between Junior Hoyas and Alpha Wolves. Both teams put on a phenomenal performance but Junior Hoyas were the ultimate winners with a final score of 33-31.
Game two was played between Bandits and Top Hill. In spite of an exciting matchup, referees were forced to postpone the game during the 2nd half due to lack of lighting on the Island Harbour Basketball Court. The final minutes of game 2 will be played prior to the tournament’s next set of games. Games will be played on Island Harbour, North Hill & South Valley courts on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Finals are hoped to be held in the Rodney MacArthur Rey Auditorium. The schedule for all games can be found on the AABA facebook page at www.facebook.com/anguillabasketball.
– Contributed
