PORT OF SPAIN (Trinidad) – With the backing of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) and the National Basketball Federation of Trinidad and Tobago (NBFTT), the third edition of the Basketball Fiesta of Club Spartans TT was held, giving a platform for the 135 athletes to showcase their talents.

The initiative featured 16 clubs and more than 35 teams in six age categories that overflowed the facilities of the Jean Pierre Sports Complex in Trinidad. A total of 92 games were played in the U10, U12, U14, U15 and U18 male categories, and U15 for female teams.

Garvin Warwick, Organizer and Athletic Director of the Spartans Club shared his commitment to providing a venue for Caribbean teams to prepare locally for international events.

“It's important to point out that if Caribbean countries like Trinidad and Tobago want to qualify to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, that would require that we qualify in local and regional tournaments,” said Warwick. “This means we would have to compete at a national level in the U15 and keep going up in qualification stages. This means that children in these categories should be competing in the highest level to have an opportunity.”

According to Warwick, the Fiesta Basketball Tournament provides exactly this: a top-tier platform for the national teams of the zone.

“We're creating a platform where the entire Caribbean can compete to prepare for the CBC Qualifiers. Countries will have the chance of playing against their counterparts as they prepare their teams for the national platforms,” he said.

The organization expects for the next edition of the tournament in July 2020 to keep the international standards of quality to continue expanding the project.
Club Maloney Pacers achieved the championship in the U14, U16 and U18 categories. Meanwhile, Club Enterprise took the first-place trophy for the U10, U12, and U15.

“As the tournament grows and gains international recognition, it's important to keep the international standards in the tournament and, of course, events like these aren't possible without sponsors.”

The event had more than 500 spectators and included a surprise visit by the NBA’s Orlando Magic player Jonathan Isaac. Other thousands of fans were able to enjoy the games from home through a free Livestream offered by the organization.

FIBA