The third annual K&J three-on-three basketball tournament was held last weekend at the Multi-purpose Sports Complex.
The tournament is organised by Kennedy Bass and Jason Edwin.
“We are pleased with the turnout and support from the community,” Mr. Edwin said.
He added that the tournament continues to grow each year. In addition to basketball, the organisers hosted a NBA 2K video game challenge for “gamers” that was held in the upper level of the Multi-purpose Sports Complex.
K’Ntenay Maduro, of War Time, was at the concession stand talking with fellow players about his team’s recent win, which earned them a place in the semi-finals. As of Saturday, the team had only lost to The Ballers.
It was his third time playing in the tournament and he had high hopes that he would win the title again. Although Mr. Maduro is from Tortola, several of his teammates are from VG. However, he added that playing together as a team was not a challenge.
“We have played together before in other tournaments. We know how each other plays,” he said. “Personally, I have been playing great. I have been getting rebounds and playing defence. I also been helping my team get open for better shots.”
Mr. Edwin said no team had a guarantee spot in the finals. One of the favourite teams, Bayside Blazers, lost early to a team from Virgin Gorda.
“That was a major upset,” the organiser said. “But that is good because it shows there are several teams that are in it to win it and that the competition is balanced.”
The tournament featured five divisions: 9-12, 13-15, 16-18, open male and female.
The Women’s Division had two teams — Go Hard and Rookies — but the participants were competitive and said more events like the tournament are needed to encourage more female athletes to get involved in basketball.
“We want to make sure we have all avenues open for the females,” Mr. Edwin said.
|
RESULTS 9-12 1. Clutch 2. Unstoppable 13-15 1. Arrow gang 2. Ballers 2 Open Females 1. Go Hard 2. Rookies 16-18 Boys 1. Jr. Bayside blazers 2. Re-Up Open Men 1. Relentless 2. Bayside Blazers Sr.
|
Rhianna Hodge, 13, plays in the Women’s Division. Her team lost the first game, but said they played well.
“We needed to score more, cut to the rim and have good sportsmanship,” the Elmore Stoutt High School student said.
Shaulique Fahie’s team, Go Hard, won the tournament last year and was optimistic about taking the title for a second time. The 16-year-old said the tournament is very beneficial for female athletes.
“It is important because it helps get the girls out playing basketball who really don’t do anything,” Ms. Fahie said. “It really gets the girls into the sport.”
Mr. Edwin said the ultimate goal is to have a Virgin Islands three-on-three Olympic basketball team.
“We want to expose the community to it,” Mr. Edwin said. “One day we might have a team representing us at the Olympics.”
On Saturday, several games were played with the day being capped off with the quarter-finalists. On Sunday, the tournament wrapped up with the semi-finals and finals.
The tournament’s format is double-elimination, so each team played at least two games. The younger divisions played 10 minutes or the first team to reach 10 points. In the older divisions, the format varied from 15 to 21 points or minutes, whichever one came first.
“It is getting easier,” Mr. Edwin said. “We have a blueprint as to how it should be run, but every year we have some hiccups, like the facility and sponsorship. But every year the fans, community and players support us. We are looking forward to next year and are hoping to make it a grander event.”
{fcomment}