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AMANADALA speaks with MIST players

SportsAMANADALA speaks with MIST players

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Wed. May 31, 2023

In our Tuesday issue of Amandala we highlighted a group of Belizean basketball players who ventured to Long Island, New York to compete in the 17th annual MIST (Masroor International Sports Tournament) which began on Friday, May 26 and ended on Sunday, May 28, with the Belize team going undefeated throughout the entire tournament.

MIST featured approximately 500 athletes from different parts of the US, Belize, Canada, and several European countries, and two disciplines – football and basketball.

The team played and won three games on their first day after arriving at the Long Island Post University, thus advancing to the semi-finals where they defeated Canada and then the USA in the finals.

21-year-old Jayden Lopez, a rising star in Belize who finished his first semi-pro season with the Belmopan Red Taigaz, spoke to Amandala about his experience in New York.

“The tournament in New York, we had a bit of a rough first game because we had to get used to the coldness of the gym, but after that, our bodies adapted and it was pretty much a smooth ride from there,” he said. “… Our competition wasn’t too nerve-racking. Our team was very talented, and I think the only thing that could beat talent is hard work; but we’re also a very hardworking team, making adjustments as we go by,” he added.

On the first day, the Belize team played against the USA team, which they played again in the finals, and defeated. Lopez expressed that they had to adjust their plans as the game went by to win.

“Starting the game, we weren’t too aggressive, but basketball is a game of adjustments. We made our adjustments, getting more to the free throw line and getting more to the rim. It was a close game to the end. We had to knock down our free throws, because they were trying to foul us to extend the game; but with clutch free throws, we were able to secure the win,” Lopez noted.

Arslan Warraich, National President of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at of Belize and the Ahmadiyya Basketball League, had high praises for the players, for the amount of discipline and focus they had in winning.

“When we went to the tournament, you can see the high level of discipline, and you can see that these guys are on a mission to be successful. Then you can see throughout the competition, everybody was very passionate to win, and you can see it in the results. We beat teams that were very close to beating us as well, but we were able to remain undefeated,” he said.

In Belize, there’s a mindset within the majority that sports doesn’t take you outside the country, and Warraich noted that it was be the first time some of the players were going to the States.

“The guys that went for the first time, it was so special for them that they were getting emotional as well; because many times people take these for granted, these opportunities, and you can see these guys, like it meant so much. One of the players, his visa has been rejected four times, and now getting it this time, he kept saying that this was something so special for him,” he said.

Warraich expressed that the other countries who participated wanted a rematch and suggested that Belize host a tournament; however, there is no concrete timeline for when it will happen.

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