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With footage provided by our colleagues at Plus TV, we'll show you what the coach of the told us today about the importance of the event:

Steven Williams - Coach, Galen Eagles Basketball Team
"Yesterday we actually completed our program - when I started a year and a half ago we had 6 or 7 guys on scholarship. Yesterday we completed that process by giving scholarships to 15 set of young men and 6 players returning and we had 7 signed contracts yesterday. Sometimes if you know when it's not to follow order in a certain way sometimes you have little loose ends - with a contract it's easier for them to abide by rules and regulations coming into the University."

Daniel Ortiz "Tell us about these contracts - what are the stipulations? Give us an idea of what the obligations of the student/athletes are and what obligation of the university are?"

Steven Williams "Well it's just to follow the orders - let's say there's a tournament and they'll be playing for money. The contract will refrain them from playing anywhere for money or such things. Then from the University point of view - we provide whatever is needed, like let's say game time we provide transportation for games. They have the full scholarship, books included and etc. We as much as possible we give and have the athletes comfortable enough when getting the scholarship. To look at the younger guys coming into the program - looking at their faces , the excitement- some of them couldn't even give words to express their feelings. Coming from the coach and I used to be in that situation and a basketball scholarship, it was exciting to watch for the younger guys."

And the first order of business by the newly contracted basketball members is a tournament being held to raise funds for the Belize National Football team, who are still $200,000 short of that target to fund the team.

The student affairs representative from the University told us about why the public should support it:

Monica Chun - Director, Office of Student Affairs, Galen
"It's a fund raising that we're having - an initiative taken on by our Galen's basketball team and as you may all be aware we just had the 15 established guys sign on and now formally a part of the team. Our goal now is to have our best basketball team support our best football team and all the funds of these proceeds that we are having will go towards the National Football Team that's in the States right now. It will be held this Friday July 12th, 2013 starting at 7:30 at the Bird's Isle - gates open at 6:30pm and we'll have our Galen Eagles Basketball team verses an All Start selection that we're working to put together. So it will be fun, hype and of course competitive, showcasing Belizean talents at its best in terms of basketball. Really having our talented student athletes and of course bringing on existing athletes from across Belize playing in this tournament."

As noted in the interview, the newly contracted student athletes number at 15.