Basketball season tips off with Curtain-raiser tournament |16 March 2017

The 2017 basketball will officially get underway tomorrow evening with the annual Curtain-raiser tournament acting as the season-opener.

There will a major change with this year’s tournament, with teams in the men’s division one competing among themselves, while the division two teams will play among each other for their own title. The change similar to that made to the Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) Cup last year.

According to the federation, last year’s change was made due to complaints from second division sides that they find it hard to win anything if they continue to compete for titles alongside first division teams.

This must put to question the ambition of the second division sides as this second change now means that there will be no chance at all for them to test themselves at a higher level.

The first game which takes place tomorrow will see defending league champions Beau Vallon Heat take on Premium Cobras Youth who are new to the first division after winning the division two league last year.

“This year our target is to win everything and the Curtain-raiser title is one we have never won. So we will be aiming for victory this year,” said Beau Vallon Heat coach Guy Hall.

Most teams have lost and gained players during the off season and the champions are no different, with coach Hall stating that they will also be using the Curtain-raiser tournament to help their new players adapt to the team.

In terms of the split of the two divisions in the tournament he said: “It does have its advantages and its disadvantages. The advantage is that it gives the second division sides a chance at winning a Curtain-raiser title, but at the same time it deprives them of higher level competition which makes it difficult for them to compare their level with top division sides.”

In the other matches on Saturday at Victoria Gymnasium, Cascade Bullets will challenge Drifters, while on the same day MBU Rockers will meet Premium Cobras.

Meanwhile, defending champions PLS Hawks will begin their title defence on Saturday March 25 when they will meet Mont Fleuri Dawgz.

“Honestly, we are at a point where we are trying to integrate younger players to the squad and going through a bit of transition. But we will try to defend our title still,” said PLS Hawks coach Tony Juliette.

On the team’s league prospects, he added: “With the transition we are going through, as a coach I will not say we are going to win the league, but I feel we have what it takes to still contest for the title.”

The first match of the division two Curtain-raiser tournament will take place on Saturday with relegated RC Dynamics taking on Beau Vallon Buccaneers.

Newly formed sides will also get their first taste of competitive basketball in this tournament, with Bel Ombre Marlins taking on PLS Suns. Both sides are new to Seychelles basketball.

On women’s side, B Challenge will begin their title defence at the quarterfinal stage where they will face Anse Etoile Stars on March 23.

RA Sonics, formerly BV Sonics, have earned a bye straight into the semifinal where they will meet the winner of the contest between B Challenge and Stars.

The new tournament format though will bring a very exciting day for local basketball fans, where there will be three finals on March 8 at Victoria Gymnasium.

S. N.