Trinidad and Tobago - Men Basketball

Manning: Best club basketball yet - Dec 17, 2009 (by Don Farrell)
THE CURRENT National Basketball Championships involving the top clubs in Trinidad and Tobago is producing a level of competition that has excited the games fraternity.

And president of the National Basketball Federation (NBFF), Brian Manning has boldly predicted that it will be the biggest tournament ever staged in the twin-island republic. The competition got underway two weeks ago with the mens team battling for a first prize of $100,000 and the women shooting for $30,000 the richest incentives ever offered in the game.
Manning, an active basketballer himself, yesterday declared that the championships were well underway following a threat by a few club officials to boycott.

Manning said only two clubs Courts Horizon (women) and Maloney pacers (men) heeded the call and opted out of the championships while Grande All Stars could not participate because of internal problems.

Courts Horizon is coached by Keith Clement who has emereged as the loudest voice of dissent against the NBFTT while Maloney Pacers is coached by Jackson Charles, who incidentally is a board member of the NBFTT. NBFTT president Manning stated emphatically that the majority of the basketballers were in favour of playing competitively and congratulated them on their decision to ignore the call for the boycott.

The voices of dissent had attempted to destroy the meaningful relationship nurtured by sponsors who have come forward to invest in the nations basketballers.

Fortunately they have failed and basketball will be better for it, said Manning yesterday.

He said that competition has already taken place in the North, East, South and Tobago and the basketballers are excited about the latest developments. The standard of basketball so far has been fantastic.

It is clear that two teams, Defence Force and Detour Shak Attack have taken the lead but as the championships progress I think any one of the teams can stake a claim for the top prize, said Manning.

The NBFTT president said the competition continues but will break for the Christmas Holidays and resume in January but will break again for Carnival with the Finals expected in early March. Manning said the enthusiasm showed by the basketballers for the National Championships showed the failure of the former basketball administrators to recognise that the game is all about the players.

He vowed that his administration is player-centered and their policies will be structured to enhance their development and make the basketball product marketable to sponsors and the public at large.

Since coming into office, Manning has been struggling to implement his visionary policies designed to bring local basketball on par with the regional powerhouses. And he has largely been successful based on the national teams performance at the recent regional championships where they matched their best ever performance and gained wide acclaim.