B-Ball Newsclips: 1980s & '90s

Part II of the article covered the period 1986 to 1990. The presentation continues below.

1991 * Cardinals becomes the first (and only) Dominican team to win the OECS Champion-of-Champions Tournament which was staged in Dominica. They achieved that distinction before an enthusiastic crowd in the 5th edition of the Tournament. Cardinals and 2nd placed Skillville of Antigua & Barbuda emerged with similar win-loss records (5 Wins, 1 Loss) among the seven teams. Cardinals' Derek Alexander was the Tournament's MVP whilst Killer Bees was the other Dominican team in the Tournament.

• The Dominica Amateur Basketball Association dedicates the 1991 basketball season to the Centenary of the 'invention' of the game of basketball. A special statistical report is produced.

• The senior division records the highest number of teams ever (11). Other years with such a high level of participation in that Division were 1992, 1996, 2006 and 2007.

• At least five (5) basketball competitions organised at the community level bounce off. Four of those, viz. the Portsmouth Basketball League, the Fond Colé Basketball League, the Rural Eastern Basketball Organising Committee (REBOC) League and the Eastern Rural Invitational Tournament were in their inaugural editions.

• The Dominica Basketball Officials Association receives the Officials Association of the Year Award from All Sports Promotion.

1992 * Division III records an all-time high of nine (9) teams. There were 36 teams in Divisions I, II and III combined.

• Lions amass a whopping 70 Pts in the second half of their match versus Police with a winning score of 100 Pts, including 12 Three-pointers.

• Once again, double-champions emerge in the three divisions of the DABA. Cardinals captured the Division I League and Knockout Championships; Hoyas II of Pottersville – the Division II League and Knockout Championships; and Home Boys from Grand Bay – Division III League and Knockout Championships. Home Boys thus become the second Division III team and the third team from Sout' City, to capture double-championships, repeating the feats of Ogan Stars (1985, Division III) and Sixty-Sixers (1988, Division II).

• A player on the Police Team, Johnny Daniel sustains a head injury during a Division I match and later that night succumbs to the impacts of that injury at his home.

1993 * Dominica captures the 1993 Windward Islands Basketball Championships in Roseau, defeating all three opponents, viz. Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent & The Grenadines.

Davidson 'Guinea' Toulon, in his debut year on the team is Dominica's MVP, and emerges 2nd in overall scoring with 61 Points, led in field goals (31/51), and placed 2nd in Free-Throw shooting but with a perfect 17 from 17 from the line.

• The Roseau Improvement Committee stages its inaugural basketball league, with 12 teams participating. Green City captures the League and Knockout Championships whilst Green City Suns were victorious in the Ball-o-Rama.

• Clifton Dupigny Community College performs a 'three-peat' in the Schools Basketball League, capturing League Championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

• The Blazers Division I team which, over time, would become the second most decorated team in Dominica's basketball history make their debut and immediately captures the 1993 Division I Knockout title. Before the end of the '90s, they performed a '3-peat', capturing the league championships in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

1994 * For first time ever, Dominica raises the OECS Basketball Championship trophy in the competition's 9 editions since it first bounced off in Roseau in 1984. Only four teams participated, and Dominica's Ashworth Daniel emerges as Tournament MVP.

Three of the four teams ended with the same Win-Loss records. However, Dominica, with a superior Goal Average beat St. Kitts into 2nd place and Montserrat into 3rd position.

• Earlier in the year Dominica had successfully defended the 1993 Windward Islands Basketball Championship for back-to-back titles.

• Dominica, for the second time, participates in three sub-regional basketball tournaments in the same year, winning two, i.e. OECS Tournament and Windward Islands Basketball Championships. The Nature Isle also hosted two of those events, viz. the OECS Champion-of-Champions Basketball Tournament and the OECS Basketball Tournament.

• Immediately following the 1994 OECS Tournament an OECS All-Star Team is selected to play a friendly match against a Barbados team. Marcellus Lee, who successfully coached the Dominica team is retained to direct the team.

• The DABA, for the first time, organises a Clash-of-Champions Mini-Tournament which involved six (6) teams representing Castle Bruce, Dubique, Marigot, Roseau, Soufriere and Trafalgar. That tournament was won by Jam Down International from Roseau.

• Cardinals again emerges double League & Knockout champions as well as back-to-back League Champs in Division I of the national league.

1994 & Chapter concludes next edition