New Kids in an Ole Skool

Part I of the article peeked into Ole Skool's formation and players who subsequently joined the team; some of their low-scoring encounters and credible performances; and their two Overtime winning streaks. The article concludes below.

Ole Skool's Tenacity: According to Colbert and other team members, Ole Skool often employed a full-court press that intimidated their opponents. Their high-tempo style of play also contributed to how they sometimes took games out of their opponents' hands. They also boasted that they brought a good crowd to their games on account of the team having 'roots' in so many former teams.

Team Accolades: Although Ole Skool is yet to win a championship in the DABA League, the team secured back-to-back runners-up places in the 2nd Level Division Play-Offs in 2014 and 2015. Unfortunately, they were out-performed in the 2014 Finals, 3 games to 2 by CrossOver, and 3-1 by Thundererz the following year.

The team also made it to the 2016 Division Playoffs.

In addition, 2015 had seen Ole Skooler Levi Baron being judged the Division I 'Player of the Week' for Week #8 of the DABA season.

Protest Action: In one of Ole Skool's 2015 Play-Off matches, versus Police in order to secure a place in the Semi-Finals, due to a scorer lapse the names of a couple of Ole Skool players were not inscribed in the scorebook, resulting in those particular players not being allowed to play that match - which the team lost.

However, following that encounter Ole Skool filed a protest with the DABA who subsequently referred the matter to the Caribbean Basketball Confederation which ruled that that match be considered null-and-void; that the match be replayed; and ensuring that further scorer errors of omitting any player(s) name(s) are avoided. Of course, Ole Skool arrested the Police in the replay and subsequently advanced to the Play-Off Finals in which they emerged runners-up.

Team Sponsors: Ole Skool has been assisted by two sponsors to date. Element Agencies was their first benefactor, and they were followed by KAIRI FM (Radio). On behalf of all Ole Skoolers Jump Ball says THANKS to the sponsors for the assistance provided to the team in keeping the youngsters on the court.

Their Colours: Ole Skool has so far played in uniforms with two colour schemes. The main colours of their first outfit were white shorts and white jerseys, the latter having a large black diagonal stripe across the chest. Their second and third sets of uniforms were purple jerseys and shorts with white trimmings and lettering.

Excelling in Their Fields: The individuals who play/played with Ole Skool come from diverse backgrounds and some have excelled in their particular field of endeavour. For example, Levi Baron is one of Dominica's senior cyclists and also coaches his son, Kohath who is currently the No. 1 cyclist on Dominica. Colbert Bertrand is currently the Administrative Officer in the Establishment, Personnel & Training Department.

Chester Letang is a bank employee, a senior cyclist and PRO of the Dominica Cycling Association and is also heavily involved in music and entertainment. Robert "Rennicks" Guiste is the Senior Education Officer/Curriculum Development in the Ministry of Education, and Calvin Esprit is a Technician at the Government Printery.

Further, Irving "Coxy" Magloire serves as Assistant Comptroller of Revenue; Garvin Richards is the Sports Editor at DBS Radio and one of the most experienced broadcasters at DBS; while Peter Letang is the current Band Master of the Dominica 'Music Lovers' Government Band, a calypsonian, a senior musician with the Swingin' Stars Orchestra for many years, and currently serves as Customs Officer Grade I. And, of course, all the other Ole Skoolers are making valuable contributions towards national development.

Remarks: Ole Skool has not been engaged in competitive basketball for five seasons now since Hurricane Maria brought the National Basketball League to a screeching halt in 2017. And while plans were well advanced for the return of the League in 2020, in stepped the COVID-19 Pandemic. One wonders whether basketball players of the likes of Ole Skool will ever again see a national league similar to what obtained pre-Hurricane Maria. The game clock is ticking.

Jump Ball wishes the entire Ole Skool class all the best in their particular endeavours, and hopes that they will one day bring home the coveted championship trophy which twice eluded them thus far.

Jump Ball acknowledges Colbert and his teammates for their contributions. Statistical information obtained from DABA Season reports (2013-2015).