UTT basketball tournament

Francis was in a fiery mood in the final as he scored 21 of his 23 points from behind the three point line. The 26 year old shooting guard said after the game, “I went into the final with the mentality of leaving everything on the court because Defence Force brings the intensity to you. I know that I was going to have a good game after my first shot but it was a total team effort especially from our experienced players and our coach.” Also, assisting Pacers but on the defensive end was Moriba De Freitas who recorded 6 points 11 rebounds and 6 blocks. De Freiatas measuring six and nine inches was awarded the best rebounder and blocker of the tournament.

The top scorer for Defence Force was Kyeon Joseph as he finished with 17 points.

Tournament`s MVP Lazaro Campbell top scored with 23 points to give UTT the bronze medal over Ministry of Sport Schoolaz 57-36. Other notable scores in the game were Czarek Nagir (UTT ) with 10 points, Triston Benjamin and Kiev Chesny (MOS Schoolaz) with 12 and 11 points respectively.

Lawrence James of Pythons emerged champion of the Skills Challenge with a time of 21 seconds with Andrew Dookoo (UTT ) winning the silver medal in 23 seconds and Christian Arthur (Defence Force) placed third in 24 seconds. This event tested dribbling, shooting, passing and finishing skills while adding the element of speed and the player with the fastest time was adjudged the winner.

The most entertaining matchup in the two day tournament was the All-Star Celebrity Game featuring The Honourable Minister of Sport Mr. Darryl Smith, Honourable Brigadier General Ancil Antoine MP D`Abadie/ Omeara, Honourable Dr. Lovell Francis MP Moruga/ Tableand, Daren Ganga, Garvin Warwick (Former NBFTT President and currently the Advisor to Minister Smith) Kerron ‘Sunny Bling’ Sealy, Clayton Morris, National Senior Women National Netball players Rhonda John-Davis, Joelisa Cooper and Kielle Connelly.

Head Coach of the UTT Men`s Basketball Team and Tournament Organiser Stefan Dillon said “We looked at it from the standpoint of capturing youth involvement, promoting women and sport and engaging a community while providing a platform for local club basketball which has been dormant for an extensive period of time.”

Special awards: · Finals MVP – Maurice Francis (Maloney Pacers) ·
Tournament MVP – Lazaro Campbell (UTT) ·
All-Star Celebrity MVP – Rhonda John-Davis ·
Skills Challenge Champion – Lawrence James (Pythons) ·
Most Assists Award – Kevon Khan (Maloney Pacers) ·
Most Steals Award – Jeffery Harris (UTT) ·
Most Rebounds Award – Moriba De Freitas (Maloney Pacers) ·
Most Blocks Award - Moriba De Freitas (Maloney Pacers