A Basketball Showdown between Hurricanes and Tigersharks
The NEBL Basketball regular season is quickly coming to a head as teams from across the country continue to fight for a spot in the semi-final rounds and a closer look to the 2019 championship trophy and bragging rights. As it currently stands Dangriga Dream Ballers are in the top, having lost once to the defending champs, Mirage Smart Hurricanes. It’s a defining match for the Hurricanes and tonight News Five’s Duane Moody goes behind the scene to see what they are doing to retain the title as champions.
Duane Moody, Reporting
This Friday night inside the Belize City Civic Centre, a highly anticipated matchup in the National Elite Basketball League 2019 championship between Mirage Smart Hurricanes and the San Pedro Tigersharks takes place. As the island team takes on the defending champions, the Hurricanes have been training and preparing for the showdown.
Ian Mariano Sr.
Ian Mariano Sr., PR & Marketing Manager, Mirage Smart Belize Hurricanes
“What is happening here is what happens behind the scenes to help create that championship mentality to ensure that we can deliver what the city deserves which is another win, which is another win, which is what we need to do in order to secure this championship fro 2019.”
Looking at the statistics, the Belize Hurricanes is ranked fourth, having won four games and lost two. But the team is not fazed by that scoring and believes they will once again be the final two teams battling for the championship trophy.
Ian Mariano Sr.
“If you were to look back at where we were last year, we were exactly in the same position. The same team that is at number one was at number one so we are not worried. When you have a team and you have that curve that the team would go and experience and that’s where we are at right now. We are at a comfortable position; we ensure that we deliver high quality performance and that’s just what we do; so we are not even worried.”
As is the case with many other teams, the Belize Hurricanes is strengthening its core to a ‘category five’ team. Aside from the developmental programmes that the players have done, the team has made some adjustments, swapping out its foreign player. New to its roster is U.S. baller, Shannon Fawler. The twenty-six-year-old is described as playing Belizean basketball at international standards, but it is his second year of playing professionally in Long Beach, California, and played in Spain in 2018.
Shannon Fawler
Shannon Fawler, Centre, Mirage Smart Belize Hurricanes
“This team is full of great shooters and I honestly believe that I am a great post presence. So when I get in a post, I’m going to force teams to double team and I could kick it out. I am a great passer; I could kick it out and they can shoot from three point line and knock down them shots and force teams to play defence that they are not use to play defence.”
Recovering from an injury he sustained during the FIBA Qualifier in February is start player, Devin Daly. After five weeks of not playing with his team and two loses, Daly is getting back in the groove and ready to take down the Tigersharks.
Devin Daly
Devin Daly, Shooter, Mirage Smart Belize Hurricanes
“I excited to come back after five weeks of not playing any ball. I heal up right so Friday should be a nice show. I anticipate team basketball, hard nose basketball, together basketball and just having fun and just have a good show for the fans. Yo only as strong as yo weakest link and every link has its own capacity weh ih dreg for the whole strength of the team. And I dah one of the leaders on the team, but at the same time we have a very deep team and we have a lot of good players. So over the five weeks, dehn players had to step it up and some of them we never get, some of them we get and that’s just how the ball bounce. But I have a lot of fate into the fifteen players that we have on the team and right now is just about looking forward.”
The team has the biggest fan base in the league, being one of the two top teams from the city. This year, the Belize Hurricanes have stepped it up a notch, adding to the overall experience when fans attend its home games. It’s a family affair and this year, a first, the team debuted its Nuvanti Sugarcanes.
Nicole Hamilton
Nicole Hamilton, Member, Nuvanti Sugarcanes
“It was thrilling. It is tedious being at practice and you have to be dedicated being a dancer, to be a part of the agency to be on a whole. And the team as you have seen Belize, they are pushing and we are riding right behind them. We are riding behind our boys. It takes a lot of energy; it takes dedication because we practice on Saturdays, on Sundays; we practice before we come on the court and the thing about it, every week, we try to be better than we were the week before. So it takes a lot of effort, a lot of time, but if you want to be the best and want to keep on entertaining at the best level possible, you have to put in the dedication and the effort.”
Captain Akeem “The Iceman” Watters says that the team is going in with its defensive strength and expects that it will once against secure their spot. This win will put the team one step closer to retaining the title as champions for a third time.
Akeem “The Iceman” Watters
Akeem “The Iceman” Watters, Captain, Mirage Smart Belize Hurricanes
“Defence brings offense and we just try to stay together as a team and just do what we do best; play Hurricanes basketball and have fun doing it every night. We take every night one day at a time. Every night is a grind, every night is hard work. I’ve had couple games where I didn’t even have legs because of the work we put in, but we had a meeting, we fixed that out and now everybody is looking good and we’re looking forward to these games coming up.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
