Legends 3x3 tournament in honour of late JABA president
Published:Tuesday | September 17, 2024 | 12:10 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
IN MEMORY of former president of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JABA), the late Marland Nattie, players will get the opportunity to grace the National Stadium courts for the inaugural staging of the Marland Nattie Legends 3x3 tournament, set for October 12.
Widow of the late basketball stalwart, Oberon Pitterson-Nattie, believes the tournament will carry on the legacy of a man who served the country as a player, coach, and administrator.
“It’s very important as he gave his life to basketball and I want people to remember him as the person who paved the way in giving opportunities to those from the inner city. He gave his all not only through coaching, but also being a mentor and father-figure to a lot of young players,” said Pitterson-Nattie.
Pitterson-Nattie said the original plan was to honour Cecil Riley, a vendor who worked at the National Stadium. Riley, over time, had become a pillar of strength for both the netball and basketball community. While the tournament is named in honour of the late basketball association boss, it will also be played in memory of Riley.
“It’s the start of an annual thing. One day we were talking and he (Marland Nattie) shared that he wanted to do a 3x3 tournament for Mr Riley, a person at the National Stadium, who sold bun and cheese, soup, and sky juice. However, he was pivotal in both netball and basketball as he had a container which kept the equipment for both sports and I remembered days when players would trust food just to play matches and he wanted to honour him as he did a lot for both sports,” she explained.
Expected a huge turnout
Pitterson-Nattie, who also serves as founder of the Marland Nattie and Oberon Pitterson-Nattie Foundation, revealed that the tournament will be played across three categories, all in honour of former stalwarts. She added that based on the reaction of the public, it’s expected to draw a huge turnout.
“There’s three categories for this tournament. They include the open male, who will play for the Marland Nattie Trophy, the under-19 males, who will play for the Cecil Riley Trophy, and the females, who will play for the Simone Edwards/Simone Jackson Trophy. We felt it would be great to honour them and give players the platform to showcase their skills. Everybody is already talking about it as the reaction has been really good and we look forward to putting on a good show.”