The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE top basketball teams in the country will meet this weekend to decide the overall titles of Bahamas Basketball Federation national champions.

The 2019 (BBF) Bunny Levarity Round Robin Nationals tips off tonight and continues through April 13 with the top four Division I teams and top five Division II throughout the country set to take centre stage at the AF Adderley Gymnasium.

Division I teams include the Commonwealth Bank Giants (New Providence), Gym Rats (Grand Bahama), Abaco Elite (Abaco) and Bimini Marlins (Bimini).

Division II teams will include the South Andros Eagles (Andros), Coca Cola Out Reach Saints (Grand Bahama), Eleuthera All-Stars (Eleuthera), Bimini Marlins B (Bimini) and the Breezes High Flyers (New Providence).

The action gets underway tonight at 5pm in a Division II matchup between South Andros and the Saints.

The next two games will be Division I matchups between the The Gym Rats and Bimini (6pm) followed by Commonwealth Bank versus Abaco Elite (7pm).

In Division II, Eleuthera will take on Bimini at 8pm and in the final game of the night, the Saints will return to take on the High Flyers at 9pm.

Play begins on Friday at 4pm. Saturday will feature a full schedule of games beginning at noon with the championships expected to be decided in the evening session with the Division II title game at 8pm followed by the Division I championship.

The 2018 nationals culminated in a pair of "Freeport versus Nassau" rivalry matchups.

The Coca-Cola Out Reach Saints went head-to-head with the Breezes High Flyers in the Division II final. The Saints ultimately triumphed 87-79 and Regis Cooper was the MVP with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

In Division I, the Giants out-lasted the Gym Rats 86-80, led by MVP D'shon Taylor's 26 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Nationals returns to New Providence after the last two years in Abaco (2016) and Grand Bahama (2017).

The BBF traditionally hosts the Round Robin in honour of Bernard "Bunny' Levarity.

Levarity, who was elected to the Grand Bahama Sports

Hall of Fame posthumously in 2013, was an icon on the Grand Bahamian basketball scene as a player, administrator and official.