Women?s basketball has a reputation for being just as hard hitting and exciting as the men?s game and the same goes for the highly competitive New Providence Women?s Basketball Association where the best female players in The Bahamas display their skills.

When the 2007-2008 season begins in November it will feature a new young team in the NPWBA named the Cybot Queens sponsored mainly by Electro Telecom.

The Queens are a branch of the Electro Telecom Cybots men?s basketball program that is headed by coach Wade Watson.

A former player, coach Simone Beneby, who has worked with Watson and his men?s program for the past four years, will head the Queens. Beneby has also recently taken on the coaching duties for the CC Sweeting High School Senior Girls program as well.

The Cybots are the 2007 championship runners up in the New Providence Men?s Basketball Association and are now looking to share that success with a women?s program.

Beneby and the Queens are primarily made up of high school graduates, returning college students like Tracy Lewis, Teniel Poitier and Tiffany Wildgoose along with a few savvy veteran players. They will have a tall mountain to climb if they are going to be more than just a push over for other teams in the league.

The Junior All-Stars that are made up of some high school players along with a few veterans have been playing in the league for the past three seasons and are finding it difficult to be competitive on a consistent basis.

The Queens expect some of the same challenges the Jr. Stars faced when they begin play and face teams like the 2007 defending champion Johnson Lady Truckers and former Champions Cleaning Centre Angels that are physical and can shoot the ball.

During a recent practice session at the CI Gibson Gym coach Beneby described her team as a ?fresh mix of players? that include players who have played in the league before and are making a return after some time off in addition to young players that have graduated from their high school basketball program some preparing to go to college on a basketball scholarship.

?We want those female players out there that are looking for a club to join to know that we are open, but we are more than just a basketball team and more than just about playing basketball, but about building character and giving back to our communities, and so if a player is interested in joining the program they can come and meet with us and see if they meet the criteria to be apart of the establishment,? said Beneby.

The Queens have been doing a lot of running and passing drills in practice which suggest that they will try to use their speed and quickness to off set some of the experience the other clubs will bring to the table.

In addition to the struggling Jr. All Stars, the COB Caribs and the Sunshine Auto Cheetahs took at least three seasons before they became forces to be reckoned with in the league. But COB had the benefit of gaining valuable experience by playing American Colleges as part of their bid to become a part of a college conference once the college converts to university.

While the men?s games are played at the CI Gibson Gym on Monday, Wednesday?s and Saturday?; the women?s league play at the newly refurbished DW Davis Gym on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays. Both men and women?s games begin at 7:30pm at their respective stadiums.

By Gerrino Saunders