Semi-Pro 2007 to tip off in San Pedro Saturday

Semi-pro basketball action is set to tip off this weekend in San Pedro between the home team Tigersharks and the Belize Bank Bulldogs. Publicity about the new season has been minimal and even though coaches and players admit that basketball in Belize has had a rocky past, insiders say fans can expect an exciting future.

Kevin Siroki, Player, San Pedro Tigersharks
“I think there was a change at the top this year, some other people taking over charge of semi-pro. So we just had a little change at the top and now that things are more stable, I think it’s gonna work out well in the end.”

Janelle Chanona
“What keeps you involved in this? I know a lot of people get easily frustrated and walk away; what keeps you here?”

Kevin Siroki
“It’s for the love of the game and it’s some much fun to strap up the shoes and the lights come on and you get the little butterflies in you stomach and there’s no better feeling that that and that and that keeps you going every year. Until I don’t get that anymore, I probably won’t play then. But every year it seems like that fun and it’s teaching young kids to come out and play also. As they seem my play or other older guys, veterans play, we try to pass on what we know, our knowledge and how we hustle or how we do things and trying to do them the right way, disciplined and fundamentally sound.”

Matthew Smiling, Head Coach, Belize Bank Bulldogs
“We have people like Tyrone Edwards, Kirk Smith, Darren Bovell, Ty Bradley, Ronald Rivers, a young man by the name of “Bigs” Leon Williams. And we are looking for people like Leon Williams and Ty Bradley and Edwards to do something this year.”

“They wanted me from last year, but I told them that I didn’t have the time last year and I said I am getting paid something I could survive off of, but I am getting compensated so to speak. It’s hard because you have long nights. You have long preparation and the only reason I am getting back in it is like I said, I am being compensated.”

Janelle Chanona
“If you were to estimate where basketball in Belize is right now, where would it be?”

Matthew Smiling
“Well my big thing is we still have the junior programme going and that’s basically my baby. We still have that, Mr. Lacey, Mr. Gabourel, Mr. Staine, we still operate that and we think that once that gets underway you will see much more talent in semi-pro in the future.”

The game is scheduled to start at nine in San Pedro.