Berisford Codd Jr ©
Week 4 in the NEBL is shaping up as the most important week in the young season, with the bottom three teams in the league (Verdes, Bandits and Running Rebels) all fighting to exit the winless cellar and begin their run to relevance up the standings. The Tiger Sharks have the week off, with them sitting at the top of the standings with 6 points (3-0) in three convincing victories. San Pedro has already shown that their offensive and defensive system remains consistent with the Tiger Sharks brand: High Powered Offense and Aggressive Defence! Through three games, the Sharks are averaging an eye opening 90.67 points per game (2nd overall) and only giving up 72 points per game (3rd overall). Expect the Tiger Sharks to remain around the top of the standings come playoff time if they can sustain this high powered style of play.
With the Sharks out of the way, let’s turn our attention to this week’s exciting slate of games!
Dangriga Dream Ballers vs Verdes – Russell Chiste Garcia Auditorium, Dangriga – February 9, 2018 … tip off at 9:00 pm (Televised on TNC10)
The Dream Ballers (2-0) are set to host Verdes (0-2) in this week’s nationally televised game. Coming off a hard fought win in Belmopan, the Dream Ballers are currently positioned second in the league standings. While road wins are especially important for playoff seeding, the Dream Ballers are facing uncertainty with the health status of their star point guard and captain Edgar “Boogie” Mitchell. Mitchell, the 2017 champion for the Belmopan Bandits, has returned home to Dangriga to lead the league in assists (6.5 assists per game), despite going down with an ankle sprain only 6 minutes into last week’s game against the Bandits. With Mitchell’s status questionable for the game, the Dream Ballers will look to Daniel Nolberto to run the show efficiently from the lead guard position and a heavy dose of big man Tahj Wells in the post to power the Dangriga attack.
Verdes, currently positioned in the sixth seed, will be seeking to build on momentum from its last game against the Tiger Sharks. Though suffering a 96-84 loss, Verdes did show that they were making strides following that ugly 37 point destruction from the hands of the Hurricanes. In the loss to the Sharks, Verdes managed to shoot over 50% from both the field and three point line. The rumour mill has been buzzing with word that Belize National Team regulars Richard Troyer and Gene Myvett have returned in country to suit up for Verdes. It will be interesting to see if Myvett will be able to provide some stability and ball control to the Verdes attack, which has averaged 16.5 turnovers in the team’s first two games.
Digicell Belize City Defenders vs Belmopan Bandits – St. Catherine’s Academy Auditorium, Belize City – February 9, 2018… tip off at 9:00 pm
The newly minted Digicell Belize City Defenders (1-0) will look to defend home court from last season’s champions the Belmopan Bandits (0-2). After dismantling the Orange Walk Running Rebels 104-76 in their home opener, the Defenders name has been buzzing across basketball circles in the Old Capital. Leading the charge for the Defenders is American import and potential MVP candidate Nigel Jones. Jones dazzled the home crowd at the SCA Auditorium to the tune of 30 points and 13 rebounds, displaying a dizzying blend of highlight reel dunks and long range shooting touch. For the Defenders to begin solidifying their position in the upper half of the standings and as a serious title contender, they will need to get more than three points from their captain and three time NEBL Champion Darwin “Puppy” Leslie. Even without Puppy being featured, the Defenders will remain a tough out if they can continue getting dominant performances from their bench (50 points), led by breakout star young Francis Arana (14 points).
After winning last season’s NEBL Championship, the Belmopan Bandits came into this season with huge expectations. Player movement has caused these solar expectations to come crashing down to earth, with the Bandits getting thoroughly man-handled by the Tiger Sharks in their home opener and losing last week to the Dangriga Dream Ballers mostly without Boogie Mitchell. For the Bandits to turn it around, Farron Louriano and American import Luther Page must both have efficient scoring and ball handling games. The big man combination of the Bandits shot 41% and 38% from the floor respectively and combined for nine turnovers. This may all be in vain for the winless Bandits if their starting guards Leroy Louriano and Greg “Chippy” Rudon continue scoring a dreadful five points between them both.
Orange Walk Running Rebels vs Smart Belize Hurricanes- OW Multipurpose Complex, Orange Walk Town – February 10, 2018… tip off at 9:00 pm
In the Saturday Sugar City showdown, the winless Orange Walk Running Rebels (0-2) will be hosting the Smart Belize Hurricanes (1-1) in their home opener. The Rebels have gotten off to a slow start to the season after a promising 2017 season that saw them competitive throughout the campaign. Last week’s second consecutive blowout of the season has fans on edge, as the Rebels have been giving up a whopping 97 points per game and lost both road games by an average of 30 points!!!! Veteran Coach Brads Neal will look to right the rotations to put together a better defensive showing in front of the home fans. While the coaching must be sharper, defence has always been about the effort, so look for Captain Roger Reneau and American import James Ewing to lead by example for the Rebels. As the Hurricanes thrive in the open court, it will be interesting to see if Coach Brads will try to slow down their fast break attack by running his offense through big man Ewing and last year’s rookie of the year Elvis Olivera. Failure to do so may have this one getting ugly real quick!
The Smart Belize Hurricanes will have the opportunity to show that last week’s poor showing in San Pedro was as much of a fluke as steady rain in the month of February. The Hurricanes were their own worst enemy against the Tiger Sharks, as they shot a frigid 10-32 (31%) from the free throw line and 23-91 (25%) from the field. To make matters worse, the ‘Canes had a severe case of slippery fingers by turning the ball over a 23 times!!! It will be interesting to see if any line-up changes are made, as the Hurricanes struggled to execute in the half court with the congested front court rotation of Brian White, Kurt “Chengo” Burgess and American import Tyson Reynold. Rookie Head Coach Jamel Wagner may have to look to his bench to find minutes for current league leader in steals Eyan Rene and veteran Keith “Superman” Acosta. A potential bench pairing of Acosta and Brian White could create the necessary offensive balance to maximize their half-court offense and get underused big man Tyson Reynold more post touches with the starting unit. Facing a variety of wing players from the Running Rebels, this week will be a good test to see if MVP candidate Akeem Watters is really ready for primetime. Watters will need to rebound from his sub-par performance, 11 points on 28% shooting, in San Pedro to secure the victory against the hungry Rebels.