The search for the best basketball school teams in the country, with the exception of the senior boys division, will begin today when the 27th Annual Fr. Marcian Peters Basketball Invitational tips off at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium. More than 90 teams will battle over nine days in 175 games. The tournament is the largest in the country, catering to schools in six divisions. Now that five new Family Island teams have joined the hunt for the prestigious title, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Charles Maynard is expecting a high level of play.
"The essence of the tournament is to play those divisions that usually don't get the opportunity to play on a national level," said Maynard, who added that he is pleased with the development of the tournament over the years. "We are very pleased with the level of play that we get from the various divisions. It is really very competitive right down to the end. I believe that, now that they will be playing at the national level, it is going to let us see who is the best-of-the-best.
"We have seen some upsets over the years that have made the tournament even more exciting. Last year, me and the director of sports, Tim Munnings traveled to Harbour Island to officially deliver trophies to the winners in their respective divisions. We thought it was a significant achievement. Even though Harbour Island has been famous for basketball over the years, the fact that they can win overall in two divisions was outstanding. We made a trip down there to personally hand deliver their trophies. The director made a trip to San Salvador to make sure that they got their trophies as well."
About 26 teams will compete in the primary boys division this year. The primary girls division will have 10 teams, the junior girls eight and senior girls seven. Both the junior and intermediate boys have confirmed 20 teams. All games on Friday will be played in the primary school divisions. The first game, which will tip off at 3:00 p.m., will see Genesis taking on Carlton Francis. This will be followed by C.W. Sawyer and St. Thomas More. Of the 10 games scheduled on opening day, only two will be played in the primary girls division - Carlton Francis will play Oakes Field and Palmdale Primary go up against Queen's College.
More than 20 games will be played on Saturday - 11 in the primary boys division, two in the primary girls division, five in the junior boys and four in the intermediate boys. The junior girls and senior girls will play one game each. Tournament organizer Michael 'Scooter' Reid is pleased to welcome the new Family Island teams. He said: "We anticipate something different. If they don't have a good team then they were not coming.
I anticipate that they will bring something different. It says a lot when a Family Island team can come and win the tournament. As far as preparation is concerned, it also says a lot about the playing field being leveled." The Family Island teams competing in the tournament are the Exuma Scorpions, North Eleuthera, Harbour Island, Central Eleuthera, L.N. Coakley, Abaco Central, Arthur's Town All-Age, Mangrove Cay and South Andros.
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