The Sprite and Belikin three on three tournament for the Belize district was played on Saturday on the blacktop at the River Tavern Parking Lot.
The turnout was disappointing - and it rained, but still it was an encouraging start of a promising new type of competition - in which Belize can compete internationally.
7 news was there and we spoke with the organizer and a few of the players:..
Paul Thompson - President, Belize Basketball Federation
"Today as we said we have good energy. Now everyone will know what it is we were talking about when we say 3 by 3 basketball. This is a great atmosphere; I believe this is a perfect parking lot for this. I have participated in one before in the United States and this as good as it gets anywhere in the world. So everyone knows now what type of basketball game this; 3 by 3."
Cassian "Russian" Flowers, Team Yabra
"The caliber of ball we used to play with back then - we still have it, in the league we got edge up in age but that still doesn't matter. People can come out and enjoy themselves and face us in a competition. We are willing to compete."
Paul Thompson
"Because its 3 on 3 - if you are a well experience player you can get over youth because you don't have to run up and down and exert a lot of energy running, so it's a lot of skill entailed in playing 3 by 3 basketball."
Cassian "Russian" Flowers, Team Yabra
"This will help the youths in 3 by 3. Some of them get on 5 out there and work a triangle defense 5 or a triangle offensive 5."
Rei Lee, Team Taiwan
"As young players we always want to have competition all around - be involve in this society and as we see Bowen and Bowen sponsoring this tournament - we want to be a part of it and as a part of Taiwanese Community week we want to show that we want to blend."
Ervin Orosco, Team Warriors
"We like to play 3 by 3 basketball; it is something that we usually play in the park every day. I feel like this is a nice fun event to come out and enjoy and to get a sweat."
Jules Vasquez
"Belize City has no shortage of ballers and I don't see a real good representation of that out here. You think that it's just the natural unfamiliarity with this format that has people maybe a bit standoff-ish?"
Paul Thompson
"I definitely think so. I think it's something new, a lot of people are watching and not participating and so I think it's because of the new format. I think if we do this another time I think it will build momentum. I think when we go to the districts because of this you will see more people participating."
In the end after about 15 games played, the event had to be postponed due to rain.
The Orange Walk event the following day also had to be postponed due to rain.
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