…as Road to Mecca VI tips off December 1
The journey to Mecca for ten top basketball clubs in Guyana began on Saturday as the fourth edition of the “Road to Mecca” was officially launched at Palm Court.
The yearly tournament which is organised by the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) will this year see total prize money to the tune of $1.5 Million up for grabs.
The winner of the competition will walk away with $600,000 while first to fourth placed teams will be presented with a trophy.
The defending champions of the tournament are the Bounty Colts who has been far and above the best club in the country in recent times.
The tournament will begin on December 1 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) with the round robin stage where each team will play each other once in two groups of five. The top two teams with the best win percentages in the respective groups will advance to the semi-finals. Each team will field 12 players and are not allowed any guest players.
The final will be held on Christmas Eve as one of the 9 other teams could dethrone last year’s champions.
Colts, who also holds the title of Georgetown’s best club, will battle the likes of Ravens, Amelia’s Ward Jets, Half Mile Bulls, and Rose Hall Jammers in Group A of the ten-team tournament.
In Group B, Linden’s leading club, the Victory Valley Royals, will be joined by last year’s finalist Retrieve Raiders, along with Pacesetters, Plaisance Guardians and the winner (Cobras) of the qualifier tournament which was contested between newcomers Cobras, along with UG Trojans, Pepsi Sonics and Republic Bank Nets.
Admission to the venue is free as the GABF seeks to give back to the basketball enthusiasts. At the launch GABF President Nigel Hinds pointed out that the tournament has evolved and fans who turn out every year can expect high quality entertainment free of cost.
