B-Ball Newsclips: 1980s & '90s

The previous part of the article presented on the period 1991 through part of 1994. This 'chapter' concludes below.

1994 (Ctd) * Goodwill Secondary School captures the Secondary Schools Basketball Championship for the first time; St. Mary's Academy and Clifton Dupigny Community College were the winners in the seven previous editions of that league.

• Possibly for the first time ever, a basketball player receives the Sportsman of the Year accolade at the national level. That honour was bestowed upon Ashworth Daniel of the Dominica National Team and Blazers by The New Chronicle newspaper.

1995 * The Women's Division of the National League returns after an 8-year hiatus, with 7 teams – the highest number ever to participate in that Division.

• The DABA Intermediate Division sees a record 17 teams in action.

• The Sports Division 'Schools' Basketball League sees record participation of 8 teams.

• Thirty-five of the 36 teams in DABA's National League come from 15 communities collectively, with Central Roseau accounting for one-third the number of teams.

• The Knockout Competition which was first staged in 1966 and which was sometimes played in all four DABA divisions in any one year, was struck off the programme of the national basketball league. The Play-Off competition in the senior division is maintained, but with a new format.

• The Dominica Senior National Team and the Dominica Under-21 National Team engage a visiting People-to-People U.S. Collegiate All-Star Team in two and one friendly matches respectively. The visitors made a clean sweep of the series.

• In Dominica's defence of the 1994 Windward Islands Basketball Championship, the Nature Island Boys placed 2nd, after St. Lucia. Ending the tournament with similar Win-Loss records as St. Lucia, (2 Wins, 1 Loss), Dominica by virtue of losing to St. Lucia had to settle for the runner-up position.

1996 * A record 9 teams participate in the Sports Division-organised Schools Basketball League, including two teams from the North-East, viz. Marigot Foundation High School and St. Andrew's High School who were making their debut in that League.

• One-time star basketballer and former national player, Lambert "Lambie" Henderson of Pros fame passes away just shy of his 43rd birthday.

• Dominica hosts the 1996 OECS Basketball Champion-of-Champions Tournament, and Cardinals walk away as champions; Derek Alexander is declared MVP.

That was Cardinals' second OECS Club Championship title, winning by virtue of superior Goal Average over Hitters (St. Kitts) and Blazers (Dominica).

• Udean Grove is elected President of the DABA and is the first and only woman to head basketball administration in Dominica to date.

1997 * Garth Joseph gets called up for possible selection to Boston Celtics in the NBA and is the first Dominican to reach such heights in basketball. However, he was unsuccessful and had to settle initially for playing professional basketball in Europe. Later, he played briefly in the NBA with Toronto Raptors.

• Dominica's National Under-19 Basketball Team participates for the first time in the CARICOM Under-19 Basketball Tournament, in Jamaica. The team, with wins over Trinidad and Grenada only managed to place 8th.

• The 1997/98 basketball season opens in November.

1998 * Two female players set scoring records in the Women's League. Firstly, Dinnia Peters swished 46 points for Celtics in a 76-43 blow-out of Trafalgar Butterflies. Later in that season, Marcia Reynold hit 48 Points for Jazz.

• Kairi FM Radio organises the first-ever Three-On-Three Street Basketball Tournament in Dominica; this was won by Bad Boys of Massacre.

• Val Cuffy, serving his second stint as President of the Dominica Amateur Basketball Association, steps down after only one year "because of lack of support from players".

• No less than ten (10) centuries are registered in the national league, with nine of those in the Premier Division. Blazers hit the highest score of 117, and were also responsible for four of the big scores. Cardinals scored centuries in 2 other games, and Cusport, Clouds and Knicks one each. Sixers, playing in DABA's 3rd Level Division also enjoyed a century.

1999 * An all-time high of 12 teams participate in the Sports Division Schools Under-20 Basketball League. Portsmouth Secondary School emerge as champions for the first time.

• The Junior Washers Basketball Academy from Portsmouth participates in the 1st Euro-Caribbean Teenage Basketball Tournament in Martinique; one of their players, Cameron Robinson receives the Tournament's Best Defensive Player Award.

• Stafford Morancie Eagles of Trafalgar hits the highest team score in the national league in 1999 when they blew-out Champs of Soufriere 131-76; these teams competed in the League's 3rd Level Division.

Remarks: The Basketball Newsclips for the 1980s and 1990s presented some of the strides made during the second two decades of the existence of the national basketball league. Information sourced mainly from archived newspapers.