7 News Belize

Juniour Ballers Back From Ohio
posted (April 30, 2012)
15 of Belize's best young basketball players have returned home after representing Belize at the King James Amateur Athletic Union Classic.

Last Saturday the team travelled to Cleveland Ohio to take part in the tournament -where they represented Belize among 99 other teams. It's the first time a Belizean team has participated and in the end Team Belize came out shining in the top sixteen - not bad for their first time playing among some of the best young talent in the United States.

7news was there when the players touched down at the P.G.I.A this morning- here's how it went.

Brice Neal, Assistant Coach
"The team travelled there last Saturday and spent about 10 days in the Cleveland area and participated in some training programs in different colleges and universities."

"This past weekend Friday and Saturday we participated in 4 different games. On Friday we won the first game, Saturday morning we lost the second game and third game we won on Saturday. But the guys were too tired to participate in the fourth game. In every round the teams gets better. The experience was just awesome, the kids have learnt a lot. They got exposed to real organized basketball for the first time and it was just a tremendous trip for the young men."

"Our team actually was rank 16th out of 99. I mean that is just crazy. Because we lost the lost the first game on Saturday, it automatically went to the bronze medal category. We were in the elite 8 in the bronze medal category. I am just fluid, I can't believe we did that. It just shows that your natural ability is only going to take you so far. You have to get all the great stuff that you need to play the game at the next level. It's in the making. This experience is going to be great for us."

"We want to be thankful to all the sponsors; the federation, the people, the ministry of sports, that played a great role. Even the school, the parents that made this happen. We are grateful and thankful and hope that we can do this again real soon."

"I want to say that with even going out there we'd even thought that we could win a game and to win the first game of the tournament that we played is such a tremendous accomplishment. But to bounce back on Saturday and be the team ahead of division one all American going already signed to play with Michigan and we put them through physical torment. There was this guy after the game came to me and said that we gave him a good work-out today. That in itself is an accomplishment."

"The system that we played against was real structured and organized. These players have 10 years of just discipline of just playing basketball none of our players have ever experience before. That was what we really hope to accomplish and I think we did a great job doing that."

Akeem Watters, Player
"Over there was intense because we played against teams that are in the tournament year in and year out. It was our first and they just don't run up and down; they run a play for every possession. So it was a great experience."

Monica Bodden
"Now, just being over there and I understand that it was something way different from what you guys have ever experienced. How was it for you being up close? I also understand that you guys went to a NBA game."

Akeem Watters, Player
"Yes we went to that game. It was excited. We even get to go on the court and hi-5 some of the players and I got to talk to Anthony Parker from Cleveland Cavaliers, so it was great."

Kachief Thomas, Player
"It was very good. I can't complain. I saw different ballers, different players, everything is just different. All of us put in our work. Each one of us played our position. Everyone did well."

Marlon Andrewin, Player
"The experience over that side - those guys over there are ballin'. We went over there with a lot of confidence. We match up well with them although they are taller and stronger than us but went over there and fight. We went and represent Belize."

Monica Bodden
"You think that you guys gave it your best shot?"

Marlon Andrewin, Player
"I think so, we did a great job."

Monica Bodden
"How was the experience for you?"

Marlon Andrewin, Player
"The experience was great. I didn't know I would be in Cleveland playing basketball to represent Belize. I thought I would be a regular basketball player in San Ignacio playing basketball. But now I am up here."

The team went to watch a Cleveland Cavaliers game.

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