An International Friendly Basketball Match at the Civic Centre

Also touching down in Belize today was the college division-three basketball team from Westminster College in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. headed by Kevin Siroki. Siroki, you will recall, is a former coach of Belize’s national basketball team and was instrumental in the development of the sport at Galen University and the University of Belize. After taking up the job as coach at the Pennsylvania college, Siroki has organized an international friendly matchup between his U.S. team and a select team from the National Elite Basketball League. It goes down at the Belize City Civic Centre and Siroki says that Belizeans should expect a really intense game. The media asked him today about the expectations in the differences in play by both teams.

Kevin Siroki

Kevin Siroki, Coach, Westminster College, Pennsylvania

“We have an experienced team coming back this year. We are hoping to win the conference championship going into next year. We lost in the conference championship this year so playing these guys tomorrow is going to help us out tremendously. We got a couple days of practice before and I expect great competition. I know the way the guys play here, which is great; they are going to be up and down the floor, they are going to be physical and that’s the kind of stuff we need. Our guys are fundamentally sound and they are going to experience some different refereeing—I guess you can say that—but it is going to be a lot of fun. It is great to be back home and I want these guys to experience the great beautiful country of Belize and how great the people are and I am sure…they are going to do a lot of educational stuff—visiting the Mayan Ruins, the Lobster Fest and different things like that. I want them to experience all the experience that I had and it is a lot of fun. So these guys are going to have a lot of fun as well. Be competitive when you step on the floor but after the games over, shake each others’ hands and be friends forever. When I first came here to play that’s what I got to do. And I think that’s what’s going to happen tomorrow night and the rest of time that we are here in the country.”

Duane Moody

“Anything that you are looking out for in terms of the Belize team? We know that their form of playing is different from what you guys do.”

Kevin Siroki

“No, they are very good; obviously they are the selection team so I expect them to be very good. I know some of the players, especially Chengu who has been around for a long time and has been very good, so I know what to expect. And as we practice, trying to tell these guys how they are going to play is two different things from when we actually step on the floor and play. So I know we are going to be competitive, they are going to be competitive so it is going to be fun. So I hope people will come out and watch.”