Coach Pattie Johnson has been an advocate of the promotion and development of women's basketball for the past several years.
Responsible for so many of today's basketball careers, her work with countless young girls has paid off, and her name will be honored during the seventh annual Pattie Johnson High School Basketball Tournament which runs April 14-18.
Anastasia Moultrie, the junior girls coach at St. Augustine's College, will direct and host the tournament designed to honor the longtime coach of the H.O. Nash Lions junior girls team. Johnson is Moultrie's former coach.
With Johnson's team being, arguably, one of the country's best junior girls basketball teams for the past two decades, Moultrie feels the need to enlighten people on the work of her former mentor.
"I want people to know more about what she's been doing, because, even if you look at the male coaches, as well, I think she has the best winning history. She has been winning internationally in her time coaching the national team," said Moultrie.
This year's event will feature primary, junior and senior divisions. The tournament will be held at the A.F. Adderley Gymnasium, and the games will begin at 4 p.m. each day.
"This year I am expecting more competition, especially in the senior girls division. There are always a lot of junior and primary players but the senior girls is where we fall short," said Moultrie.
"There are always three or four teams in the senior division, but this year we have a lot more teams that have committed to coming, so hopefully they show up."
The Temple Christian Suns are the defending champions in the primary school division, the Lions are the defending champions in the junior girls division and the C.R. Walker Knights hold the senior girls title.
The idea of holding more games throughout the year has been a common theme among Bahamian coaches lately. They have realized that athletes develop more when they play more, something that basketball powerhouses from the United States and Canada have been practicing for some time.
Although the number of tournaments is increasing, the number of those open to female players is relatively small.
Women's basketball has always been relevant in the country, but has never been pushed to the forefront the way men's basketball has, until recently.
The improvement in the skills of female athletes was evident during the New Providence Women's Association, Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) and Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) games, this year.
They are performing and training at higher levels than ever before.

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