The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE New Providence Basketball Association (NPBA) regular season is scheduled to return next week Saturday for opening night at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.

With a new president Ricardo Smith, and team of executives at the helm for the next four years, changes are on the way for the NPBA, starting with the season opener.

The event will kick off with the NPBA Finals rematch between the Discount Distributors Rockets and the defending champions Commonwealth Bank Giants at 7:30pm.

The announcement came during a press conference yesterday.

The CB Giants swept the Rockets 3-0 to end the NPBA postseason with the division one championship hardware.

In the previous season, the Rockets dealt a similar blow to the reigning champions and now they are hungry for revenge.

NPBA president Smith said the anticipation for the opening night game has been sky-high since the final buzzer of game three in the NPBA Finals.

“This game is a game that is most anticipated, people have been waiting to see the rematch.

“We will have a new look Rockets and new look Giants, all I can say is you will have to come and see what happens because there is no guarantee on who is going to win,” the NPBA president said.

The executive team has been vocal about their goals to transform NPBA basketball. So, on opening night, there will be a pregame show featuring performances by artists Nishie L S, and Dillon “DMAC” McKenzie as well as giveaways. Additionally, during the halftime break, the dancers of the Saxons Superstars will provide entertainment to usher in the second half.

In efforts to reach a larger audience, the rematch will be broadcasted live by ZNS on November 11.

The theme of the upcoming 2023-24 NPBA season is: “The year of the player” which is a dedication to active players and persons that have contributed to the growth of the night league. The league’s respective divisions have been renamed in honour of Derrick “Bat” Ferguson and Michael “Boshang” Cooper, the longest serving players in the association.

This season will feature a record number of teams across both divisions with 23 set to compete.

Twelve teams will be competing in division one, including the Giants, Rockets, Sand Dollar High Flyers, Caro Contractor Shockers, Leno Regulators, UB Mingoes, TMT Giants, Tucker Boys Mumbas, Zulu Media Great Whites, Investment Development Rebels, Centerville Stompers and Brandon Deli Kings. With a $10,000 prize up for grabs for the champions, competition will be stiff from the opening tip-off.

Ten teams will look to dethrone the Your Essential Store Giants in division two. The teams vying to knock them off are the Rockets, Cyber Tech Marlins, Produce Exchange Rockets, BIBT Great Whites, Mekaddish Millionaires, Rhythm Rebels, Investment Development Rebels, Sand Dollar High Flyers, Heatwave and Javon Medical Shockers.

Michael “Furley” Bain Jr, of the Giants team, said the defending champions are ready for business.

“Our expectation stays the same, we are the defending champions and we are excited to get the season started. We know that opening night is going to be a tough battle that is probably going to set the tone for the rest of the season for us and we are looking forward to a high intensity battle come November 11,” Bain said.

Ryan Turnquest, of the Rockets, is ready to avenge last season’s NPBA Finals loss. “We basically kept our core players, we made maybe two additions to the team and last year the Giants slipped away because of one or two injuries but we are not gonna let that happen this year. Opening night is going to be pretty exciting,” Turnquest said.

Following the season opener at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium, the regular season games will continue at the CI Gibson Gymnasium.

Repairs to the roof and floor of the AF Adderley Gymnasium are ongoing and expected to wrap up by December.

The 2023-24 NPBA season continues until March of next year.