Sophomore Arise Basketball League a winner-take-all affair
Published:Tuesday | October 21, 2025 | 12:09 AMAdrian Frater-Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
THE SECOND staging of the St James Arise Basketball league officially got going at the Montego Bay Cricket Club courts in St James on Saturday night with a press launch and an exhibition game between defending champions Montego Bay Boys’ Club Warriors and Montego Bay Cricket Club Knight.
“Like last year’s inaugural staging, we are looking forward to an exciting competition as, with no other competition being played in the parish at this time, this is the only opportunity these players will get to showcase their talent in a competitive format,” said Nyame Frater, president of Uprising Basketball.
This year’s competition will again feature eight teams, but this time around, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) will replace Sav Titans, who did not submit an entry this year. The teams will play in a round-robin format, which will see the top two advancing to semi-finals, while third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-placed will enter a play-off phase for the other two semi-final places. The bottom two teams will be eliminated.
Like last year, the competition will be sponsored by SoSo Water and Creek Hardware and Lumber. In terms of cash, it will be a winner-take-all with the champions pocketing $250,000. The champions will also take home the Arise Basketball Championship Trophy and winners’ medal. The second- and third-place winners will each receive a trophy and silver and bronze medals.
“We are excited to be on board again this year, as we believe this is a good way to get the youngsters involved in something that is positive and can aid in their personal development,” said Ryan Gardner of SoSo Water, who represented his company at the launch.
“Our hope is to see the league grow from strength to strength, with more teams coming on board each new season.”
The eight competing teams are Montego Bay Boys’ Club Warriors, Montego Bay Cricket Club Knight, Jamaica Defence Force, Muschett Falcon, Catherine Hall All Star, Coral Gardens Raptorz, Brown’s Town Eagles and Hoopers.
In the play-off for the two non-automatic semi-final places, the third-placed finisher from the first round will meet the fifth-placed team, while the fourth-placed team will battle the sixth-placed team. These games will be played in a best-of-three format.
“We want to give the top sixth teams a good run, so we are going to have each team playing as many games, as possible because this is what the teams want,” said Frater. “We will be seeking to become affiliated with the Jamaica Basketball Association next year, so we are aiming to play at a standard that is good enough to make a mark in the national competition.”
In the exhibition game, champions Montego Bay Boys’ Club Warriors gave an early indication that they are ready to make a strong title defence, soundly beating their Montego Bay Cricket Club Knight opponents 51-29. Jamal Russell scored 13 points and had 10 assists for the Warriors.
The regular season will start on November 1 with a double-header at the Montego Bay Cricket Club courts. Muschett Falcon will meet Montego Bay Boys’ Club Warriors in the opening game at 6 p.m., while Catherine Hall All Star will battle Hoopers at 8 p.m.