Second edition of DIAL basketball to tip off on January 24

The second edition of the Destiny Invitational Arima League (DIAL) basketball competition will tip off at the Princess Royal Basketball Court, Arima on January 24 with a double-header in the championship division.

The championship division is designed for under-23 players and will feature ten teams. Maloney Pacers are defending champions in both the championship and premier divisions, and they are back and keen to defend both crowns. There will be six teams competing in the premier division in a round-robin format. After five round-robin games, the top four teams will advance to the semifinals. The semis and final will be contested via a best-of-three format.

The ten teams in the championship division will be split into two groups, with the top four teams in each group advancing to the quarterfinal stage.

On opening night, UTT and Spartans TT will get things under way in their pool B game from 7 pm, with New Chapter Academy (NCA) Peace and Royalty Basketball Academy getting their pool B campaign under way with a 9 pm showdown.

The five teams set to challenge the Pacers for their title in the premier division are Caledonia Clippers, Police, NCA Warriors, South Side Elite and Arima outfit The Expendables.

In the premier division, the teams will be competing for a $14,000 top prize. The second-placed team will receive $7,000 and the third-placed team will be rewarded with $4,000.

In the championship division, the first-placed team will earn a prize of $8,000, with the second and third-placed teams receiving $5,000 and $3,000 respectively.

In what a DIAL media release said will be a thrilling addition to this year’s competition, a mid-season knockout tournament is being introduced. All teams from the championship and premier divisions will be involved in the 16-team knockout tourney, which is expected to be contested after the conclusion of the league’s group phase.

The release said the prize structure for the knockout competition is still to be decided. The 2025 edition of the DIAL competition is scheduled to conclude on April 20.

Admission is $20, while children under 12 can enter free of charge.

DIAL basketball teams:

Premier Division: Caledonia Clippers, Maloney Pacers, NCA Warriors, Police, South Side Elite, The Expendables.

Championship division, pool A: Maloney Pacers, Matthew Pierre Basketball Academy, NCA Love, Togetherness RL, USC.

Championship division, pool B: NCA Peace, Royalty Basketball Academy, Spartans TT, UTT, UWI.