After seeing over 25 teams compete in its debut last year, organizers of the National High School Basketball Championships expect this year's edition to easily surpass the first, in terms of participation.
The second annual event will be held on March 1-6, in the St. George's High School Gymnasium.
"It is through our alliance with the Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) that we are able to be a part of a sanctioned national tournament," said Evon Wisdom, senior education officer in the Ministry of Education. "So often, some tournaments are thought to be national championships, but they are not unless they are sanctioned by the authority that governs the sport. So, we are pleased to have the BBF officially run this tournament. We are happy to be back in Grand Bahama."
The teams will be divided into three divisions. Division one will be made up of seven teams from the Government Secondary Schools Sporting Association (GSSSA) and the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS), along with five teams out of Grand Bahama.
Division two is made up of teams from other Family Islands. Division three is the girls' pool.
Six Family Islands teams are expected to compete, while nine teams will compete in the girls' division- five from New Providence, four from Grand Bahama.
The second high school nationals will run a double elimination format and the opening matchups will be based on rankings done by the BBF.
"We are happy once again to host this tournament," said BBF President Charles "Softly" Robbins. "I would love to see this tournament move to any island that has a gym, so that those people can see the kind of talent that we have in this country."
Local Organizing Committee (LOC) member Norris Bain, who also operates the Grand Bahama arm of the National Sports Authority, said that the national championships provide a good platform for kids to display their talent.
"This is going to be very good for Grand Bahama. There will be some great basketball. For those that won't be able to make it, 10th year seniors will be here streaming it, so you will be able to see what's going on," he said. "There will also be some vendors on the outside as well, which gives them a chance to make some money. We are expecting that we will have great fan participation. We are going to do some giveaways, and we're just looking forward to a great tournament."
Last year some 26 teams, inclusive of seven female squads, competed in Grand Bahama for the classic. The Islands that were represented included North and South Andros, Abaco, Cat Island, San Salvador, New Providence and Grand Bahama.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian