The inaugural Port Moresby Elite Basketball (PEB) competition officially launched its season on Sunday, August 25th, 2024, at Taurama Aquatic and Indoor Centre (TAIC). Officiating at the launching of the PEB competition were the President of Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea (BFPNG), David Peter, BFPNG Patron, Charles Abel, PEB Director, Lawrence Lahari, and PEB Patron, David Wereh, among other distinguished guests, players and fans.
The new basketball competition is proudly sponsored by ExxonMobil PNG LNG and Togoba Kofi, with a prize money of K30, 000 up for grabs. With two rounds of competition for twelve weeks and the participation of six clubs (both men & women) in the PEB competition, the teams include Hurum Tribes Coffee, CIVPAC Amessi, Togoba Coffee, Moni Plus Tamaraws, ACL Kings, and North West Wizards.
The PEB executives, in collaboration with BFPNG, are planning to develop and grow the five-men code into a semi-professional competition, which is similar to the Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup (rugby league) and Premier Soccer League (PSL).
BFPNG President, David Peter, bluntly expressed that he was not here to play politics, but to develop basketball in Port Moresby and across the country during his tenure. He emphasized that too much politics has derailed the progress of this globally recognized sport in PNG, so he wanted to work with like-minded people to grow basketball.
“For me, this is the beginning of something new. We have been actually going around the circle in basketball and doing the same things year-in, year-out. When we came onboard about six weeks ago, our idea was to take basketball to another level; probably something a little bit different,” President Peter stated.
“I think the idea from some of the people who have been involved in basketball is to go from being an amateur competition to a semi-professional level. It’s a big ambitious plan or vision for us (BFPNG), but I think through competitions like the Port Moresby Basketball Association (POMBA) and Premier Men’s Basketball League (PMBL), we have learnt some lessons on how we can go forward.
“From our federation, we would like to work with anybody or any organisation that comes up with ideas, as to how we will develop basketball. I’m here to grow basketball. I’m not here to play politics with anybody. We are here to grow basketball.
“When we have people with the right attitude, who can align with our plans and develop pathways for our raw basketball talents on the streets and in the villages, these are the kinds of people that we want to work with.”
PEB Director, Lawrence Lahari, and BFPNG Patron, Charles Abel, echoed similar sentiments shared by BFPNG President, David Peter. They urged everyone to work together and take basketball to greater-heights, not just in Port Moresby but throughout PNG.
After the launching, the Hurum Tribes Coffee and the CIVPAC Amessi (men & women) kicked off round 1 of the competition. In the opening women’s game, the Tribes Coffee edged the CIVPAC Amessi with a close margin of 57-54, followed by the men’s match, where the Tribes Coffee defeated the Amessi with a 76-61 win. Both Tribes Coffee men’s and women’s teams started their campaign on a high and look forward to maintaining that momentum in round 2.
Round 2 games on Sunday, September 1st, will see the competition go full swing, with the participation of all six teams (both men & women). The Port Moresby Elite Basketball competition promises to deliver entertaining basketball games as the six teams rise to the occasion to showcase their skills, while locking horns and battling for supremacy this season.
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