Inaugural 3x3 high school tournament good for development – JBA President

PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Basketball Association, Paulton Gordon, is confident the inaugural staging of the 3x3 Basketball competition for high school boys, which tips off on Saturday and ends on November 20 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, will be good for the future of the sport in Jamaica.

“I think it’s a good addition to the mix of things that have to be done. We’re trying to encourage more playing of 3x3 basketball because it’s an Olympic sport, so most countries have two bites at the cherry, in terms of trying to get to the Olympics. What FIBA (International Basketball Federation) is trying to do is expand the playing of 3x3 basketball, especially for smaller countries, and it’s a much more convenient sport for those smaller countries, so I think this is a good initiative,” said Gordon.

Nine local schools are set to participate in the inaugural season.

Calabar, Excelsior, Manchester, Knox College, York Castle, Herbert Morrison, Holland, St James, and Cornwall will all vie for the Tourism Enhancement Fund Trophy and bragging rights.

According to Gordon, the disappointment in the low turnout of participating schools has not blinded him to the general appetite for basketball in the country.

“Because of the impact of the pandemic, we have less schools than expected participating in the competition, but the interest is still there. The general appetite for basketball is there, but I’m a little disappointed in the number of schools that are prepared to participate in the inaugural 3x3 competition. But I know that it will grow, so we’re pretty optimistic in where it’s going,” he said.

The competition forms part of the fourth staging of the Jamaica Classic Weekend, which features eight Division One College basketball teams, as well as a skills clinic for 150 students.

• Georgetown (returning)

• Lasalle

• Loyola (returning)

• Morgan State

• Queens

• University of Wisconsin, Green Bay

• Utah Valley

• Wake Forest

Gordon, who sits at the helm of local basketball, believes the 3x3 element of the weekend will only add to the development of the sport from a grass-roots level and help form a solid base to build upon.

“In terms of where I want it to be, not absolutely, but clearly, they’re good parts for us, as can be seen for last year in terms of the number of partnerships we had for structured, organised competitions. And again, as we emerge from the pandemic we add on layers in terms of participating, and we want to get back into the community competitions.

“We’re just about to sign an agreement with the Ministry of National Security for community basketball activities, which we want to roll out in December. So we’re getting there, and we want to get back on track as soon as possible,” Gordon added.

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com