Schools basketball tips off 2025 season in Maloney

ELEVEN schools will try their best to dethrone reigning champions Fatima College when the 2025 TT Schools Basketball Association (TTSBA) season tips off with an under-17 knockout competition at the Maloney Indoor Sports Arena on January 16.

The proceedings will get under way from 9 am, with the TTSBA’s opening ceremony also featuring a skills challenge competition and an inaugural female knockout competition which will see four schools vying for the crown: East Mucurapo Secondary, Fyzabad Anglican Secondary, Holy Name Convent PoS and St Joseph’s Convent PoS.

Last November, the youngsters from Fatima showed their mettle when they copped the under-17 and under-20 categories at the TTSBA’s 3x3 national championships.

In the knockout competition in Maloney, Fatima are expected to face a stiff challenge from Trinity College East, runners-up in the under-17 category of the 3x3 championships in November, as well as fellow north schools East Mucurapo, Queen’s Royal College and St Mary’s College. Hillview College, Holy Cross College, Chaguanas North Secondary and El Dorado West Secondary will also be among the schools trying to knock Fatima off their perch.

A January 14 release from the TTSBA said the opening ceremony “marks the beginning of what promises to be an exhilarating season of youth basketball, showcasing the passion and talent of our nation’s young athletes.”

“The national opening ceremony is more than a launch,” the release continued. “It’s a celebration of the transformative power of basketball. By bringing together schools from every corner of TT, the TTSBA fosters unity, encourages discipline and provides a platform for students to grow both on and off the court.”

The ceremony will also feature a walk-past parade with the teams from the varying zones and key addresses from the TTSBA leadership.

The release said 42 teams have been registered for the 2025 TTSBA season, which will tip-off its zonal action on January 25 in the east, north and south-central zones. TTSBA president Allison Bastien said the Tobago zone is expected to start at the end of the month. Fourteen teams will be represented in the open female category when the league begins.

The under-13, under-15, under-17 and under-20 age groups will be contested among the boys in the upcoming season, with the girls set to compete in the under-15 and open categories.

The TTSBA’s national championships, which will see the varying zonal winners vying for national supremacy, are currently scheduled for April 10-12.

Teams for boys’ under-17 knockout competition:

Chaguanas North Secondary, East Mucurapo Secondary, El Dorado West Secondary, Fatima College, Fyzabad Anglican Secondary, Hillview College, Holy Cross College, Presentation College San Fernando, Queen’s Royal College, San Juan South Secondary, St Mary’s College, Trinity College East.

Teams for girls’ open knockout:

East Mucurapo Secondary, Fyzabad Anglican Secondary, Holy Name Convent PoS, St Joseph’s Convent PoS.