Return of basketball showcase to exclude senior athletes
Published:Thursday | July 20, 2023 | 12:11 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
THERE WILL be one notable difference from last year’s inaugural staging of the Jamaica Basketball Showcase (JBS). This year, there will be no senior players participating.
At the launch of the second staging at Express Fitness on Tuesday, president of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JBA) Paulton Gordon explained that the tournament was conceptualised as a youth competition.
He said that due to nearly three years of inactivity, caused by the coronavirus pandemic, players over the age limit were allowed to compete in order to ensure a certain standard of play.
However, with the return of the school league and other local competitions, Gordon said it was important that they went back to the original concept.
“Last year, we opened it because there were not a lot of activities for senior players. So although the focus was on younger players, senior players were inserted into all of the teams, which gave it the quality we were looking for.
“But this year, it is strictly under-20, and that is deliberate because this cohort of young players requires exposure, scholarship opportunities, and just to improve their overall game.
“And with games being televised, the opportunity is there for scouts and coaches who cannot come to see them. So it’s a really good platform for the young players,” he said.
Six teams will battle for a prize of $300,000, and Gordon anticipates three days of intense and exciting basketball.
“I am expecting solid and competitive basketball. The teams are very competitive. For the last five months, they have been playing consistently, so all the players have played a lot of basketball coming out of COVID, so they are sharper, and skills have improved. So we will definitely see better quality,” he said.
The six teams are Phase 1 Academy, Purple Power, Camperdown Giants, Caribbean Basketball Academy (CBA), Blue Mahoe, and Hoop Factory Blues.
The opening games will see Phase 1 Academy playing Purple Power, the Giants taking on CBA, and Blue Mahoe going up against Hoop Factory Blues.
Games will be televised live on the website of sponsor Sports Innovative Group (SIG), Sportsmax channels, YouTube, CEEN TV, and the CEEN TV and SportsMax apps, revealed SportsMax CEO Nicholas Matthews.
He said that SportsMax was excited and will provide premium coverage, engaging all aspects of production to ensure that fans can watch the JBS live anywhere at any time.
“SportsMax aims to bring all eyes to Jamaica Basketball Showcase. The JBS will be available to viewers in 26 Caribbean countries and across the world.
“We are confident the showcase will display a mastery of skills, and we are excited to let you see all the action. I am confident our young talent, we will hear about them after the showcase as scouts will be able to see the talent on show,” he commented.