The senior division playoff opener between TRIP and Flames fitted the two teams who matched up in the first game of the regular season. Flames won that game in a nail-biting finish, 51-48, in regulation. This game started with similar intensity and at a torrid pace, with both teams combining for the highest scoring first quarter of the season, 24-21, in favor of Flames. Gary Francisco and Bernard Felix put on a show by trading baskets in the first half, scoring 17 and 18 points, respectively. Francisco finished with 28 for the game, while Felix ended with 24 after fouling out in the third quarter. After the loss of Felix, the wheels seemed to come off for Flames, as they could manage only 7 fourth quarter points and ultimately suffered the 61-53 loss. Meanwhile, in the do-or-die U-19 semifinal match played between Hopkins and Rebuilders, in perhaps their best game of the season, Rebuilders proved to be the only team able to slow down the Hopkins duo of Macario Augustine and Iver Ventura, who were held to a season low of 10 pts and 6 pts, respectively. The duo ordinarily averaged 17 ppg and 13 ppg, respectively. However on this night, as a result of solid team defense and timely offense, the Rebuilders were able to pull off the huge win by the final score of 46-41.
LUCKY 13!!! ATLANTIC BANK DISMANTLE BELIZE CITY COUNCIL 64-46 IN GAME ONE OF INTEROFFICE FINALS
In routing Belize City Council last Friday night in game one of the 2009 Interoffice Finals, Atlantic Bank is now just one win away from writing the final script in an extraordinary, magical season, which with a win tonight will give them their first interoffice championship in thirteen years of play. ABL fans, eager for the win, undoubtedly will have their fingers crossed come tonight, and will certainly be counting down the time as the game progresses. ABL, who entered the season as long-shot to make the playoffs, made believers of the many doubters, including yours truly, by compiling a respectable (6-1) regular season record. They entered the post season as the #4 seeded. They were severely tested in their quarterfinal round game against Guardian/Housing Dept, however, were able to prevail and wound-up winning the game by the close score of 51-48. That win propelled them to the semifinals against the #1 seeded FCIB/Alamilla’s Furniture. Amazingly, they were able to quickly dispose of FCIB/Alamilla’s, winning in convincing fashion in two games. With momentum clearly building, ABL last Friday night, after a slow first half start, applied a ruthless assault on Belize City Council in the second half of play, essentially transforming the rest of the game into a formality, with the final score reading 64-46. It was a performance that provided sweet validation for ABL backcourt of Andrew “Head” Staine 20 pts 2 rebs 3 stls and Darwin “Dawgy” Elijio 17 pts 2 rebs 1 stl. One night, two stories. On one side sat vindication, while on the other side sat frustration. Belize City Council has had its share of disappointments in the past, and Friday night was no exception. They were out-played and out-hustled on the court, and out-maneuvered on the sideline. Their backcourt, featuring Godsend Ferguson and Kenroy “MVP” Usher, appeared aged and slow, and consequently were unable to create any opportunities for the frontcourt people, and on defense struggled terribly in transition. Virgil “Butta” Miller 11 pts 8 rebs and Kenroy “MVP” Usher 10 pts 6 rebs had lethargic performances. In Hoops News view, these sub-par performances by the prime time players of BCC will not cut it. For them to enjoy any sort of success, it must start with Mr. MVP. In addition, they must control game momentum, slow…slow…and even slower….. It is counter-productive to engage in a marathon with ABL. Final analysis: ABL in two. You can’t teach speed.
DREAM TEAM – BELIZE ASSEMBLED
Eleven years ago to this date, on June 26, 1998, Belize was on top of the basketball pinnacle in Central America and the Caribbean, following their stunning defeat of Barbados in the Caricom Championship game. It was indeed a special time for the players, prevailing against immense pressures and accomplishing the amazing feat in front of home fans at the Belize City Center. The team back then was led by the dazzling play of young point guard Milton Palacio, complimented by the high-flying wire act of Alex Carcamo, alongside front court teammates Kirk “Shabba” Smith and the youthful Keith Acosta. The accomplishment in my view was gigantic, given the fact that from the onset the team was pressed against a ceiling of high expectation, where only historic greatness would suffice the insatiable appetite of the locals. Collectively, they showed remarkable heart in winning Belize’s first ever Caricom championship, and for a fleeting moment Belizeans were able to put aside political, religious and racial divides and come together as a country. Following a week or so of celebrating, the Belizean Americans returned to the United States to continue their professional careers playing in leagues in the United States, Europe and Central America, while locally our resident players continued to play ball at the local level. Eleven years have passed since that eventful night. Some of the players from that team obviously have aged, but most disappointingly, Belize’s basketball ranking has sunk to the bottom of the abyss. Poor showing at the 1999 Centro-Basket, the 2000 Caricom games held in Barbados, and the 2006 COCABA championship have contributed to Belize’s current dismal ranking.
Well, all this is about to change, the newly elected Belize Basketball Federation (BBF) led by President Paul Thompson is about to bring change to Belize’s basketball. And it starts this summer as Belize participates in the 2009 Confederation of Central American Basketball Association (COCABA) championship. The tournament is scheduled to be held in Cancun, Mexico from August 3 thru August 9, and will have the participation of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Belize.
Twenty-five Belizeans have since been selected to the National Team. Locally they are Keith Acosta, Alfred Bainton, Jorett Jones, Travis Lennan, Farron Louriano, Leroy Louriano, Winston Pratt, Greg Rudon, Darwin Leslie, Leon Williams, and Stephen Williams. Meanwhile, the foreign based players include Herbie Allen, Dakin Braddock, Darwin Carter, Charles Burgess, Alex Carcamo, Noel Felix, Clinton Fuller, Marlon Garnett, Keenan Jordan, Gene Myvett, Milton Palacio, Kyron Stokes, Richard Troyer and Sonny Watson. The team will be coached by University of Belize’s Head Coach, Kevin Siroki, who is on a one year retainer. He will be adequately assisted by two of Belize’s best basketball minds in Frank Lord and Darren Bovell.
Last week Sunday morning, Hoops News sat down with BBF’s President Paul Thompson, Vice President Charles Ellis, and Secretary General Julian Murillo for a candid conversation regarding the assembling of our National Team. The team has tremendous talent and, based on our records, not since the 1998 Gold Medal team has Belize been able to assemble such a skilled group of Belizeans basketballers. The talent-laden 25-member team carries an average age of 26 years, and according to Paul Thompson, was constructed strategically with the objective to infuse both local talents alongside Belizean ball players living abroad. He also added that the team has an excellent mix of young talent mixed in with proven and battle-tested veterans. The elder statesman on the team is 34-year-old shooting guard Marlon Garnett, while the baby of the bunch is 18-year-old UB’s Leroy Louriano. Traditionally, Belize has always lacked size up front; however, according to Secretary General Julian Murillo, this time around things should be different, with front court players such as 6’11’’ Dakin Braddock , 6’9" Noel Felix, 6’7" Keenan Jordan, 6’8" Alex Carcamo and 6’11" Sonny Watson, all who have verbally committed to the team. In the backcourt the team appears very formidable, with Milton Palacio, Charlie Burgess, Darwin Carter, Marlon Garnett, Herbie Allen, Gene Myvett, Darwin Leslie, Stephen Williams, Winston Pratt, Greg Rudon and Leroy Louriano. At the three and four we should compete with the likes of Alex Carcamo, Richard Troyer, Kyron Stokes, Keith Acosta, Clinton Fuller and Keenan Jordan.
The team, according to President Thompson, was chosen by a selection committee made up of himself, Charles Ellis, Julian Murrillo, and with participation from the coaching staff. Tryouts commenced in the month of March, and in general have involved mostly the local players. The exercise seemingly has been beneficial to the local players, as they have been getting accustomed to the coaching staff’s offensive and defensive styles, while at the same time developing the necessary team chemistry. They are currently enrolled in a weight-training and condition program at the Body 2000 complex, which, as Hoops News understands it, is being paid from the pockets of a number of the executive body. From the desk we salute the members for this true display of love for the sport, players and country. Players’ attitude according to the BBF have been remarkable, both on the local and international level. We questioned the executive on the criteria used in selecting the Belizeans living abroad, given the fact that there was no prior knowledge of their basketball careers. We were told that Kevin Siroki conducted tryouts during the period May 15 thru May 20 in Los Angeles, California, and all indications were that those tryouts were well attended and extremely successful. The foreign-based players are expected to begin arriving in Belize by early July to commence one full month of intense practice in preparation for the tournament.
Early estimates for team and tournament expenses have the cost in the neighborhood of close to $150,000.00. This includes transportation, accommodation, food, and provision for a small stipend for the players. Private funding for the program, according to Secretary General Murillo, has been relatively scarce, and consequently the BBF will be relying heavily on the Government of the day thru the National Sports Council to finance a huge chunk of the projected team cost. In our view, this remains uncertain, given this government’s poor track record when it comes to sports in general. The BBF, however, holds a different view from us, and expressed confidence that the government will come through for them, given the good relationship they currently enjoy with National Sports Director, Mr. Anthony Michael. In any event, if government is unable to foot the team bill, the BBF will be knocking on the door of the National Olympic Committee for some assistance, as well as from the private sector. The executive is adamant about making sure that there are no shortfalls in meeting projected team expenses. And to ensure this happens, the executive has taken a proactive step, and is tentatively planning two exhibition games against a team from Venezuela so as to raise additional funds.
The BBF executive, according to Vice President Charles Ellis, is excited about Belize’s chances and the team’s potential, and, conversely, through this medium is requesting financial assistance from the private sector. At the desk, we extend endorsement to this initiative, and call on all Belize to render assistance where possible, so we could begin the process of reclaiming our rightful place in the basketball fraternity of Central America.
Next week, we will continue our look at Dream Team – Belize and will attempt to provide as much information as possible about each and every player on the team.
Myvett was one of the most well-rounded players in the CCAA this season. He finished 15th in the league in scoring at 12.3 ppg as well as 15th in field goal percentage (.449). He also ranked 10th in the CCAA in assists (82, 3.15 apg), 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3 assists for each turnover), and 17th in steals (30, 1.15 spg).
About Stokes
Redshirt freshman ready to step in and fill the perimeter void created by the loss of Moses Ehambe to graduation … Similar player to Ehambe, but with a more well-rounded game … Excellent shooter; can also put the ball on the floor and get to the rim … Long, wiry athlete; owns surprising strength … Grew nearly two inches during his freshman season and put on 15 pounds … Expected to make a strong contribution off the bench, and could challenge for a starting job.