-by Tyriq Walters

A new era for school-level basketball in Guyana officially began today with the launch of the Schools Basketball League, a coach-led and school-supported competition aimed at elevating the standard of the sport among secondary schools and increasing competitive opportunities for young players.

The league will run from January 16 to March 22 and will feature a home-and-away format, with each participating team scheduled to play 10 games during the season.

Chairman of the Schools Basketball League, Willon Cameron, said the competition is intended to complement existing basketball programmes while expanding the number of games available to student-athletes.

“The role of this league is simply to add more games to the basketball calendar, complementing what already exists and strengthening the overall development of our young players,” Cameron said.

Guyana Basketball Federation (GBF) Vice President Jermaine Slater congratulated the league’s founders and organisers, including Cameron, for their vision and initiative, noting that the federation fully endorses the competition.

“The federation and association fully approve of this. We’re fully behind this and fully support it,” Slater said. “I know that these guys would do a good job.”

Slater added that the launch of the league represents a positive step forward for school basketball and youth development.

“I want to congratulate them on this effort. I want to congratulate them on actually starting this school league. This vision will improve the gameplay of the schools and of the youths,” he said.

Support has also come from the Ministry of Education, with Head of Allied Arts Nicholas Fraser welcoming the initiative and expressing confidence in its direction.

“It’s something that we have been paying attention to. We had a short meeting, and I think in terms of the direction that you’re going, it’s a good programme on paper,” Fraser said. “We now need to get all hands on deck and have it moving.”

In addition to team competition, schools have been invited to submit the names of qualified basketball officials, providing opportunities for referees and scorekeepers to gain experience alongside players and coaches throughout the season.

The inaugural season is expected to feature a six-school competitive field with organisers anticipating that the league will play a key role in developing basketball talent across the country. The School League have also team up with NexGen Sports with 1 match being streamed every matchday.