Last minute adjustments are being made to some team rosters now that an increase in player movement has taken place in the New Providence Women's Basketball Association (NPWBA) this season.
And with the return of Natasha Miller and the Defence Force Marines squad, the decision to stay or go has become more difficult for some players.
The 2013/14 season will tip off on Saturday, November 2, at D.W. Davis gymnasium. It was revealed that the defending champions, the Bommer G. Operators, have lost a couple of their key players, as well as last year's runners-up, the Career Builders Cheetahs. These two teams will play in the feature game. The Johnson's Lady Truckers and the Super Value Cybots have the opener. All four of the teams have lost players due to the shuffling and will be making the adjustments before Saturday. In fact, league President Simone Beneby said the movement by players is nothing new in the league and the increase this year should spark an exciting and competitive season.
She said: "The movement will only make the league more competitive and the return of the Defence Force will add to that. The Defence Force team is very talented. They have players coming back with loads of experience and exposure from playing in regional games in the past. They are bringing in veteran players like Natasha Miller, who is a strong post player. Her presence in the paint will change a lot of the other teams' offense structure. A lot of the big teams have lost players as well. So I know that the adjustments to rosters and plays will have to be made."
The new kids on the block are the Bahamas Information Access Systems Stingers. This squad is basically made up of young high school players enrolled in the Bahamas Basketball Federation's (BBF) junior developmental program. About six of the players were members of the Centrobasket Championships (CBC) team that competed in a regional tournament this summer. Six more juniors, who currently train in the junior program, will join them. Beneby is confident that this team can pick up at least one or two wins this season, despite going up against big teams like the Cheetahs, Operators, The College of The Bahamas Caribs, Truckers and the Cybots.
"I am pretty excited about it," said Beneby.
"The schedule is almost completed, and by the looks of it we will be playing the same amount of games. We have two new teams, which should provide more excitement. We have the return of the Defence Force and the junior team that is coming from our junior program. What we are trying to do is provide more games and play for our junior members. The lack of play and experience was their downfall at the regional tournament in the summer. If we can get them playing in more games, they will become more consistent and their level should improve by next tournament."
Top players from the 2012/13 season will be presented with their awards, adding to the excitement on the opening night. A halftime show is also planned. The ring ceremony for the defending champions will be held at a later date.
"There are lot of things planned for this year," Beneby added. "As you can see, we will be starting off with a bang and will carry that through the rest of the season. Our all-star weekend, the line-up and activities are all planned. Instead of one night of activities, we will have a week starting off with that Tuesday and climaxing on that Saturday with the three games. We are looking forward to a competitive season. There will be a lot of promotions and giveaways through the season, so we invite all to come and support the NPWBA."
The most valuable player award will be presented to Shantel Rolle. She led the league in assists and was the top scorer. Pamela Bethel won the most rebounds awards; Malesha Peterson the most steals, and Ashley Moss most blocks awards.
The 2012/13 defensive player was Taneil Poitier; and the coach of the year was Anthony Swaby.
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