Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 13, 2012 Sports
– California Square host Grand Finale
By Edison Jefford
The best ‘street-ballers’ in Guyana will wake up tomorrow morning $1M richer, compliments of Ansa McAl under its Mackeson Stout brand that will host the Grand Finale of the Smooth Moves 3-on-3 Basketball Championships at California Square tonight.
The East Ruimveldt venue will host the six best teams from across Guyana in what will be one of the best moments of the 2012 tournament, and there has been many, giving each of the Super Six teams the acumen to bounce away with the $1 winner-take-all prize.
The remaining six teams from the nationwide competition are the Linden-based Jets #1, the New Amsterdam-based Full Clips, Georgetown-based Pitbulls, Slash, Pacesetters ‘A’ and Colts. There is equal potency among those six teams with no clear frontrunner.
The last surviving Linden team in the competition is yet to play its best game, but still made it to the ‘money round’ against the background of fundamental basketball; veteran point guard, Kevin ‘Two Feet’ Joseph has led the team with experience and skill.
He has ensured fellow guard, Leonard Caleb grow in confidence throughout the tournament and has unleashed a beast in centre, Shane Webster. Jets #1 will be gunning for the $1M tonight, and once they strategise against formidable opposition, they can win. Expect Linden to turn out, they usually do, in large numbers to support their last chance of winning the money.
The silent assassin of the 2012 competition has been New Amsterdam’s Full Clips with Sheldon Thomas at the helm. Their comprehensive game is yet to be tested with the team proving that it’s largely a shooting side with any minor look at the basket unleashing the snipers.
Sheldon will have his younger brother, Shelroy, who is a former national junior guard and a pure scorer, to contend with on the Georgetown-based, Colts. Shelroy forms his coalition with veteran forward, Dane Kendall, Stephon ‘Penny’ Henry and Tyrone Hamid.
The Colts team has already made it public that they want to win the title for former Coach of the Bounty Colts, the late Phillip George. The nippy guard, Henry will be difficult to defend while a lot will depend on how well Hamid and Kendall play their roles.
Slash bounced through the tournament with its underdog status, defeating every other major team in the contest, including the defending champions, Pacesetters ‘A’; the Pepsi Sonics-based team of Jason Squires, Trevor Smith, Horace Hodges and Aubrey Austin has proven that they are among the teams to beat in the competition.
The Ravens-based Pitbulls has made their presence felt as well. The team of Ryan Gullen, Ryan Stephney, Jermaine Slater and Akeem Kanhai will not roll over and throw up $1M. They believe that they are among the favourites to win the money as their progress suggests.
Then there is the threatening presence of the defending champions, Pacesetters ‘A’ with Royston Siland playing centre/forward, Travis Burnett at point guard, Steffon Gillis at shooting guard and the stalwart guard/forward, Naylon Loncke coming off the bench.
Siland is a national forward and might be slow on the offensive end, but there is none better than him on the offensive and defensive boards. Siland would have been a national record holder if he had chosen to become a high jumper. His leap is extraordinary and his hands are secure. What he lacks on the offensive end Burnett makes up for in the guard position.
Burnett is the principal finisher on the team. ‘Blurr’ as Burnett is nicknamed, is a natural finisher and plays both offense and defence; he plays hard and brings immense energy to any team he is a part of and will be looking to win a consecutive title with the unit.
Gillis has brought Pacesetters ‘A’ back from the brink of elimination in the 2012 tournament, but can he replicate that performance tonight? What is certain is that Gillis will have to be clinical in the Mackeson Smooth Moves Final tonight if his team will have a chance.
Speaking to Kaieteur Sport yesterday, Mackeson Brand Manager, Jamaal Douglas said that there are systems in place for a massive culmination of the event tonight. Mackeson will doll out about $200,000 to patrons in its ‘shoot for cash’ competition.
Douglas said that the Mackeson Models will identify patrons, who are supporting the Mackeson brand, for the shootouts that will occur at various intervals. In addition, there will be a dancehall competition and local reggae star, Jory to bring the curtains down in a grand way.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
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