Jets continue its winning streak in the Hoop- It up Basket Ball competition, organized by the International American University College of Medicine (IAU) when they brushed aside their opponents Soufriere Sulphur Lions, 15-7 in a one- sided affair.
The 6th IAU annual Hoop-it-up basketball tournament which took place at the Vieux-Fort Basketball Court last Sunday generated much interest among the general public. In the 3 on 3 finals, Soufriere Sulphur Lions was no match for the defending champions who had them lagging behind from the start and never showed signs of recovering. Jets made light work of all their opponents by displaying some dazzling display of basketball, exciting the crowd with some long shots and good ball control. Jets earn the winning prize of $1,500 while second place Soufriere Sulphur Lions won $750.00 and third place Classick, $500.00.Soufriere Sulphur Lions earned their second position by defeating Classick in a keenly contested duel which they won10-8.In the 3point shoot-out competition, it was Arsham Mizani, a student of IAU who won the wining prize of $250.00 A total of ten teams from around the island took part in the annual event which has grown over the years.
The tournament was graced with the presence of West Indies Cricket Player Gary Mathurin who presented the Jets the winning price. President of the St. Lucia Basket Ball Federation, Leslie Collymore hailed the tournament a success and expressed confident that it will continue to grow.”The tournament was a success and the Federation is very happy with the outcome. This will do well for the development of the sport.” he said. He added that players from the school’s tournament took part in the competition which is a very good sign. Collymore praised IAU for organizing such an event and appealed to the basketball committee to emulate IAU in that regard. “Hats off to IAU for a job well done,” he said He also praised the Vieux-Fort Basketball Association for its role in hosting the event, adding that when the game was at a low, it was still being played in Vieux-Fort. According to Collymore, the federation will continue to support the annual event by offering technical assistance, and services in the marketing of the event.
Public Relations Officer of IAU Sibi Gopalakrishnan said that he was very happy with the outcome of the tournament which is in its sixth year, adding that the school will continue to make the tournament bigger and better every year. He said that he was impressed with the level of skills exhibited by the players, adding that the public support has been overwhelming over the years.
