St.Kitts and Nevis To Clash In Sugar Mas Cup Final. SKNABA Prize Giving This Saturday
Press Release
The Island Basketball Teams of St.Kitts and Nevis will clash this Saturday January 18th in a much anticipated final and deciding championship game to determine the first ever Sugar Mas Cup Champions.
The Sugar Mas Cup is one of the many new initiatives of the SKNABA Executive to improve the standard of basketball not only in St.Kitts but also Nevis and thus the entire Federation. The teams played the first two matches in December with Nevis beating St.Kitts in Game 1 in NEVIS and then St.Kitts taking GAME 2 at Basketball City in St.Kitts. The Game 1 loss by St.Kitts to Nevis according to many local Basketball historians maybe the first time in as many as 20 plus years since a Nevis Island/National Team has defeated their counterparts from St.Kitts.
General Secretary of SKNABA Mr. Wallis Wilkin indicated that this weekends Game 3 championship game and the outcome can mean a plethora of different things in terms of the development of basketball in the Federation.
“A Nevis win can either indicate a rise in the quality and standard of basketball on Nevis or it can mean that there is a drop in the standard of basketball in St.Kitts. There will be persons who will support either view. However my view and the view of the SKNABA is that the Sugar Mas Cup series enhances the relationship and partnership between St.Kitts and Nevis Basketball. Nevis Basketball for the first time in 50 years since the introduction of the game in the federation St.Kitts and Nevis basketball are working together as a unit and this has resulted in the overall development of Basketball in the country. Our national team comprises significantly of players from each island unlike the past when all the National Team players came from St.Kitts. ” said Secretary General Wallis Wilkin.
Nevis Basketball Association President Wanda Parry said that her team is ready and quite confident of winning the inaugural Sugar Mas Cup on Saturday. The Nevis team just recently returned from a successful tour of Montserrat where they won all but one game in the weekend tour.
A Nevis win at the final game will be historic as it would be the first time that Nevis has defeated St.Kitts in a Championship 3 game series.
Also on the Saturday night immediately after the Sugar Mas Cup Finals there will be a Prize Giving Ceremony where all the prizes, trophies and gifts for the outstanding players over the last 3 seasons will be distributed. The SKNABA has been attempting for some time to distribute these prizes but has been unable to due to a number of factors beyond their control.
“We intend to present and reward all our outstanding players over the last 3 years including our Stats Leaders and champions as well as our Playoff and Regular Season MVP’s , Champion teams etc. Thousands of dollars in Trophies, medals and prizes will be handed out on Saturday,” said SKNABA President Kenroy Romel Tobias.