Lagos – Twenty basketball academies featured in the just-concluded Lagos Youth Alive Basketball League which has been described as successful by the sport’s enthusiasts.

Although 20 teams from the academies started the competition, only 16 made it to the Grand Finale where increased passion for basketball was displayed.

The event held from May 26 and ended on May 29 at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Center, Rowe-Park in Yaba.

The grand finale which is the product of the regular season, held from February to April to determine teams in the round, had no fewer than 816 participants.

The participants who were categorised in the U-12 boys, U-16 boys, U-19 boys and U-19 girls will forever be proud of the excitement it brought to them.

They will also be thankful to the organisers, Deepbond Global Sports Initiative and the Lagos State Basketball Association and the sponsors, Honeywell Flour Mills Nigeria Ltd.

Dodan Academy defeated Dodan Warriors Academy 28-16 to emerge champions in the U-12 boys’ category, while Raptors Academy humbled Deepbond 29-21 to clinch first place in the U-16 boys’ category.

Police Rookies beat Dodan Warriors 19-18 in a low-scoring but well contested game to top the U-19 boys’ category.

In the only girls’ category, Hope for Girls Academy defeated Topfield Academy 23-22 to reclaim their 2015 title in the U-19 category.

Some of the coaches and other enthusiasts said that they believed that the junior league would continue to develop and produce future champions.

They also called for more private sponsorship as the league was a model for other states in the federation to emulate for the development of the sport.

Coach Charles Ibeziakor of Raptors Academy whose team won the U-16 boys category, said the junior league had continued to bring out the best out of the players.

“We are proud of the league, it is worthy of all praises, I don’t think there is any sport right now that organises a three month league for its sportsmen and women.

“We can train the players on how to play basketball but we can only assess what they know when they play competitive games as provided by the league.

“Indeed we have everything to be thankful for the organisers in making our efforts less cumbersome,’’ Ibeziakor said.

Leo Kareem, the handler of Police Rookies whose team claimed the U-19 boys’ title, said the competition had provided a perfect platform for the players to be discovered and nurtured.

“This is laudable project and it makes me and my players feel good. It makes us better prepared for the Junior Police Games which is coming up later in the year.

“It also gives us the opportunity to know our squad and prepare better ahead of time as basketball is being taken serious in the Police,’’ Kareem said.

In the same vein, Peter Ahmedu with the Dodan Warriors Academy told NAN that the sole aim of the league was to expose the players to gain their confidence through competition.

“The junior league offers the participants more games from which they could gain the necessary confidence when called upon to play national or international championships.

“If they do not know what competitions entail, how will they be developed and raised to become future champions?’’ Ahmedu said.

Meanwhile, Deji Tinubu, Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission, has pledged the state government’s support for the league.

Tinubu said that he was impressed with the way the league had continued to turnout young and vibrant future national players.

He said that the state government would support the league with a scholarship programme for the Most Valuable Players (MVP) in each age category from competition.

“This is an impressive initiative; the coordinators have done well to bring young players together to play a junior league and exhibit their talents.

“The league has given the participants an opportunity to be discovered, to develop from the cradle to the professional level; it has given them something to look forward to every year.

“From next year, the state will reward every outstanding participant in each age category with scholarship,’’ Tinubu said.

Similarly, Gbade Olatona, the coordinator of the league, expressed joy for the successful conclusion of the tournament, saying he looked forward to extending the initiative to other states.

“We are happy to hold a successful event; the future is bright for these young players as we have continued to discover more of them for the state.

“We at Deepbond Global Sports Initiative are also looking at taking the league to other states in the country just as we experimented in Ekiti in 2015,’’ Olatona said.