After taking Linden by storm, the Mackenzie High School (MHS) basketball team is now feasting their eyes on capturing the National Schools Basketball Festival (NSBF) title and according to their coach Quincy Cummings, it would be a form of redemption since they finished fourth in the last installation of the tournament.
MHS will compete in the Under-19 ‘Big Ten’ division when the tournament bounces off on Friday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Since last year, the school is yet to know how it feels to be on the losing end of the court because they have been coming out on top in all the tournaments they entered in the mining town, with their most prestigious being the Victory Valley Royals Inter-School Basketball title.
The tournament was played in April and MHS stopped New Silver City Secondary in the finals to retain the title and in the process claimed the lien trophy which they had won twice before. And, following this achievement, the team’s coach is hoping they could extend the victory chain.
Cummings mentioned that the players are more than enthusiastic to compete in the tournament because it would bring fresh competition.
Boasting Guyana’s top junior ball player in 17-year-old Akeem Kanhai, many believe that it is because of the extraordinary skills of the point guard that they were able to be so successful, but Cummings begs to differ, saying there are other players who have been performing just as well.
He was quick to point out Sheldron Noel who was sensational in the Royals tournament as well as Dedal Williams and Dillon Campbell.
Apart from the NSBF defending champions, Linden Technical Institute (LTI), MHS is the only secondary school from Linden who would be taking part in the tournament and despite all their recent accomplishments, Coach Cummings believes his players will not be lethargic.
“Right now we have no pressure going into this tournament because it is something that the players want. They are really ready mentally, very enthused about the tournament because the last time we were beaten by Kwakwani in the semi-finals so now it would be like redemption for us,” said Cummings.
Due to the end-of-term examination coupled with the persistent rainfall being experienced in Linden, Cummings said that the preparation for the tournament is not at its best.
“Yea well, we are not fully prepared for the competition because we have end-of-term exams and then too the rain is here. We have scheduled practice for almost every day since but then most afternoons the rain falls, but I’m looking to win this competition and I know that my players are just as ready to do the same,” Cummings maintained.
The NSBF tournament is being sponsored by Street Solutions and Next Level Entertainment in collaboration with the National Sports Commission (NSC) and features 26 schools from around the country.
