National Basketball Team Seeks Assistance

Bermuda’s National Basketball Team is currently preparing for two major upcoming tournaments, including the Natwest Island Games in Jersey and the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships in the British Virgin Islands, but a lack of funding is threatening to derail their plans, leaving the team and its supporters to turn to the public for aid.

The team is currently training 3-4 times per week and invites up and coming youth prospects from high school to train with with the team for exposure and growth.

Steven Simons, one of the team’s captains, said, “Our resume and track record speaks for itself in the Natwest Island Games, where we have won a medal in every tournament since 2003 and have won gold in the past three tournaments in 2013, 2011, and 2009.”

“No other country had ever won back to back gold medals, let alone three in a row. We have had two past experiences in the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships, which is an Olympic qualifier, with our highest finish being fifth in 2011.

“Despite our successes, we are struggling with financing and support, which has put us in a very precarious position where key players may not be able to travel to these tournaments as they simply cannot afford it. Each player has been tasked with coming up with approximately $3,500 to cover the costs of attending these two major tournaments.

“Alongside the hard work, time and effort it takes to get in shape, gel as a unit and prepare both mentally and physically for these tournaments we now have the added stress of covering all of our expenses. This has hampered team selection as certain key players, particularly the young ones, are struggling to pay their own way.”

Head Coach Roderick Spencer said, “We are not looking for a free ride or funding to pay players & staff. We have self-funded and done fund-raisers but are still a little short of our goal.

“All we are looking for is financial assistance that will be directed first at the young players and those that are unemployed.

“All donations will be applied directly to the cost of team travel and accommodations not new fancy uniforms or gear.”

Player and Team Representative Steven Simons said, “Preparing yourself mentally and physically for such major tournaments is a tough task and takes hours and hours of commitment and practice. When you add in work commitments, family and the stress of trying to raise funds to cover expenses it really does become overwhelming, especially for our youth players who are enrolled in colleges overseas.

“Every little bit helps and I hope this message reaches the wider community and people step forward to assist us in reaching our goals.”

To donate to Bermuda’s National Basketball Team, funds can be deposited to HSBC account 006-025480-013.

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Category: All, Sports