NEBL Season Opens Tonight with Major Hype

After months of build‑up and louder‑than‑ever calls to invest in local sports, the National Elite Basketball League finally tips off its new season tonight, and the hype is real. Organizers say this year’s opener at the Belize Civic Center could be one of the biggest basketball nights we’ve seen in a decade. Fans are getting a blockbuster start: a finals rematch between the San Pedro Tiger Sharks and the Cayo Western Ballerz, then the Belize City Defenders take on the Orange Walk Running Rebels. And that’s just the action on the court. With major giveaways, a five‑thousand‑dollar shooting competition, and live entertainment from Supa G, tonight is shaping up to be a fully packed house. We spoke with Dr. Karim Juan about why this season opener matters, and what fans can expect when the lights come up.

 

Dr. Karim Juan, Coach, Cayo Western Ballerz

“Tonight. Honestly, we are expecting one of the biggest basketball events in Belize over the last ten years. So we are expecting a packed Civic Center tonight. We have so many giveaways. I think it’s about ten or fifteen cell phones, three tv. We have packages for resorts. We have bar tabs, after party tickets. So there’s so, so many giveaways tonight. We’re expecting a huge crowd. Supa G will be here entertaining the fans. We’ll be having the five thousand dollars shooting contest. And we get a double header. So fans get two excellent games for the price of one.”

 

Shane Williams

“And the games?”

 

Dr. Karim Juan

“So first game starts at seven thirty. That will be the rematch from last tournament’s finals. So San Pedro Tiger Sharks will be hosting Cayo Western Ballerz. And then in the Night Cup Belize City Defenders will be hosting Orange Walk Running Rebels.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

Watch the full newscast here: