Cover for SCB b/ball court not far-fetched - Hon. Fraser [Photo-slide Included]
Basketballers would then be ecstatic to know that the resurfacing of the court was just one of many phases that 3rd District representative Hon. Julian Fraser envisions for the prized facility. In fact the ultimate goal for Hon. Fraser is to have the court covered and he does not think it is an overly ambitious idea.
Speaking exclusively to Virgin Islands News Online on Friday December 2, 2011 at the Sea Cows Bay basketball Court where the district representative did an inspection of the court and met some of the youth players who were having practice sessions, Hon. Fraser said it is his hope that in the near future Government would take the initiative to continue work on the Sea Cows Bay basketball court.
“The ultimate goal for it is to have it covered. That is not far-fetched. I don’t see a reason why it can’t be done. I think the people of the 3rd District and by extension those who come from outside the District to play basketball could enjoy the facility.... If it becomes a part of a greater initiative that is fine with me but as a District representative it will be my desire and my intent to work with the Government to make sure that we get it covered.”
Audio clip of Hon. Fraser on SCB basketball court
Reflecting on his input in developing the court, Hon. Fraser said extensive work was done on it back in 2003 when the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) was in power. “We did extensive work on the court. We put a wall up and we did the fencing and at the same time refurbished the court but since that time the court has fallen into a state of disrepair and it had become the subject of much discussion.”
The former Minister of Communications and Works said he was particularly inspired to once again turn his attention to the basketball court when the Class 5 students of the Ebenezer Thomas Primary School were asked to write to the District representative and express their concerns to him and high on their list was the basketball court along with the playground at the school. “I promised those children that I would work diligently to make sure that the basketball court was in a good state so that people could play on it and we worked from that point on to get it refurbished.”
The resurfacing of the court started in early October and was completed within the same month. “I remember coming here in October myself and I saw some young men and they reported to me that they had to go to West End to play basketball and that was not a comfortable experience for me. I am pleased to be here today to be with the kids and be with you to report that the basketball court is now back in good working order and this is one of many phases to go.”
But while he would like to see the basketball court covered, Honourable Fraser also desires that all of the basketball courts in the Territory receive such development. “There was a time when there was a real hard push to cover the basketball courts in the Territory but that initiative had withered out and nothing took place. I don’t think it’s a Sea Cows Bay Basketball Court thing only. I think that it would be nice to have all the courts in the Territory covered because as you can see when the weather sets in nothing happens. My intent is to work with the Government to see to these things being done.”
Meanwhile, Hon. Fraser also expressed appreciation to persons who have been pushing for the development of the game in the Territory and had special mention for the BD Basketball League, which he said was a very strong initiative.
“I am happy to report too that the 3rd District has done well as regards the BD Basketball League. Mr. Milton McLean was very instrumental in pushing basketball in the District and the Territory so I think that too much could not be said about what is happening with basketball and what needs to be happening with basketball. What we can’t afford is to have any of the districts left behind because each district has a certain amount of kids who are interested in Basketball and without the facility that interest wanes and we can’t afford for that to happen.”
Meanwhile, Mr. McLean said he was very pleased with the refurbishing of the court, which he now rates as one of the best in the Territory. “When we looked around we saw that in most of the districts they had nice refurbished courts so we were looking forward to seeing the court in Sea Cows Bay done as well and we are very very pleased to see that they did a very great job. In fact I think this is probably the best court right now if you compare because it is marked out under international standards, FIBA rules, everything. What we are seeing now is more and more people coming to Sea Cows Bay to play basketball so the court is really attracting them. I think this is a very beautiful court.”
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Virgin Islands News Online also encouraged some of the children to take some timeout to speak to us about the facility. Nathan Rodney, who plays for Sea Cows Bay and Parsons said “I feel very glad to know that the court has been refurbished so we could play with less injuries”. He noted that before the court was very uneven.
Dwayne Francis said “this is really good, now that the court is fixed up it feels really nice playing on it” while Point and shooting guard Akeem Nibbs said “the court is better now, it has better backboards, better rims and it is easier to play on”.
Hon. Fraser also expressed thanks to contractor Keith Malone, “for his many pieces of advice, and going beyond the call of duty to have the court in full playing order, on time and on budget”.
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