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| Rings to be presented to NPWBA Champions |
Kelsie Johnson
Guardian Sports Reporter kelsie@nasguard.com
Published: Jan 10, 2012
Teams in the New Providence Women’s Basketball Association (NPWBA) have more than trophies and an overall title to play for now. President Simone Beneby announced that, this year, the winner will receive championship rings. Beneby said the decision to present rings instead of the traditional trophies and awards was made last year. She added that it is being used, by the association, to attract more teams and players to the league. “I think that this is a big deal for us, and the first time anything like this has happened in the league since it separated from the men’s,” said Beneby. “The teams have been asking us to switch over to rings for some time now, so it is a good step forward for us. We not only want to use this to attract more teams to the league, but hopefully, it will be a greater incentive to the teams that are already playing. That should cause them to work harder and increase the competitiveness.” The rings will be presented to the Four J’s Cheetahs on January 21. The Cheetahs won the championship last year over the Boomer G. Angels, who are now leading the standings. The Angels are no strangers to the NPWBA title, having captured it many times in the past. The Johnson’s Lady Truckers, who are currently the third place team in this year’s league, have also savored the sweet taste of the championship title before, but Cheetahs’ Head Coach Mario Bowleg said his team has bragging rights since they will be the first to be presented with rings. Bowleg said: “It is a great honor to be the first team. I think we won at the right time. All of those championships won prior to ours don’t mean that much if they don’t have rings. That is just my opinion. Nothing compares to this one, and we, the Cheetahs, did it. It is a great feeling and honor and the team members are very proud. We can’t just have it once and let it go, so we will be back. I know that we will get back there; that is a guarantee. I don’t see any reason why we won’t.” The presentation to the Cheetahs will jump-start a list of events scheduled to take place in the association. The awards ceremony will be held before the two games scheduled, on January 21. Also on tap, for that evening, will be performances by Terez Hepburn and a local high school marching band. On the following Saturday, the annual All-star game will be held. By then, Beneby is expecting to have a clearer playoff picture. She said: “It is going to be a good fight coming down to the end of the season. The top team, the Angels, are looking good. I anticipated that the Cheetahs would have been a bit more competitive than they have been in the first half. So I am looking forward to them pulling up their socks in this second half. They are still ranked second in the league, and the Truckers are following close behind in third place.” |
