JaBA optimistic about second half of NBL

JAMAICA Basketball Association (JaBA) President Paulton Gordon says he expects improvements in the second half of the National Basketball League (NBL) season, which resumes this weekend.

With 10 teams competing in a round-robin format, nearly 45 games have already been played and Gordon says the league is steadily gaining traction.

“We are building momentum and the teams are organising themselves,” Gordon said. “The quality is getting better and we are hoping to see more persons coming out to the games. Certainly, we are going to increase the visibility and the support base. going forward.”

All NBL games are being staged at the National Stadium, with teams such as Urban Knights, Upper Room Eagles, Montego Bay Boys and Girls Club, and Portmore Flames among the 10 in action.

While Gordon says the competition is on an upward trajectory, he says greater financial backing is needed, not only for the league but also for JaBA’s national basketball programmes.

“We have three main sponsors at this point in time — Phoenix Health, the Bob Marley Foundation, Gatorade — and the Social Development Foundation have supported us as well,” Gordon said. “But we are always in need of additional resources to kind of elevate the league to another level, so we are looking at that as well.”

Gordon also stressed the importance of spreading support across the board, especially with a busy international summer ahead for JaBA’s national teams.

“We have three national teams that will be competing in the summer — the men’s senior team; our Under-17 team, which has qualified for the second phase of their competition; and the women’s team. So, we have to make sure we find the resources to cover all our bases.”

Despite some teams still working on organisation and consistency, Gordon says he is satisfied with the level of play among the top teams and he has also projected further growth as the season advances.

“We have some good young talent on show in the league,” he said. “Some of the youngsters have emerged from the high school leagues and the collegiate system.

“We are looking forward to them continuing to elevate themselves, and we expect to see some of them available for the July 5-6 trials when the national coaching staff comes down to assess local players.”

St George’s Slayers won the mid-season final 60-44 against Upper Room Eagles at the National Stadium court on Thursday.

— Robert Bailey