With the new opening of the National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) 2018 season, the San Pedro Tiger Sharks are gearing up for their first game. On Thursday, January 18th at the University of Belize auditorium in the Capital City of Belmopan, the Tiger Sharks will face defending champions, Belmopan Bandits. The San Pedro Sun caught up with some of the players, as they shared their expectations for the season. We are pleased to present the 2018 San Pedro Tiger Sharks to their fans.
Ashton Edwards #8
Year: Senior
Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 29
Height: 6’ 1”
Origin: Belize City
Hobbies: Playing basketball and watching sport TV shows
Edwards believes that the team has better strategies this time and will improve in many of their flaws that haunted them during the past season. He asks all fans to come out and support.
Louis Patterson #1
Year: Senior
Position: Power forward or Small forward
Height: 6’ 4”
Origin: Belize City
Age: 28
Hobbies: Watching sports shows
Patterson is excited for the upcoming season, and looks forward to continue accumulating championships with the Tiger Sharks.
Faisal Ahmad #2
Year: Junior
Position: Point Guard and Shoot Guard
Height: 5’ 9”
Origin: Belize City
Age: 25
Ahmad expects a positive debut with the team, and he is eying a championship. “I am excited for the opportunity, and I am bringing all my past experiences to obtain the goal.”
Bernard Felix #6
Year: Junior
Position: Point Guard
Height: 6’0
Origin: Belize City
Age: 33
Hobbies: Playing sports and watching nature shows
According to Felix, before getting into elite basketball he played in several junior competitions. He shared that in 2005 he was selected to attend a basketball camp in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where NBA Basketball stars took part in the week- long activity. Felix learned a lot about the sport, and will be applying all those skills to the team.
Douglas Penland #13
Year: Senior
Position: Shooting Guard
Height: 6’ 3”
Origin: California, USA
Age: 50
Hobbies: Playing basketball and most sports
“There is a new talent on the team so we are coming with good energy. All fans can expect that we are going once again to the finals and for the championship,” said Penland. He invites everyone to come out and support the new team once again.
Douglas Valley #3
Year: Senior
Position: Shooting Guard and small forward
Height: 6’ 5”
Origin: Ladyville, Belize District
Age: 23
Hobbies: Playing sports, especially basketball, listening to music and indulging in pizza
Valley believes this year things will be different, as there is more organization and the chemistry among players is at its best.
Raoul Roches #12
Year: Senior
Position: Small forward and power forward
Height: 6’ 3”
Origin: Ontario, Cayo District
Age: 27
Hobbies: Playing all sports
Roches, who is also known as ‘Thumpy,’ says that he has been living on the island for the past five years and has loved living on the island while playing basketball. He loves to keep busy and when he is not playing basketball, he also enjoying football, volleyball, and softball as well.
Afrie Black #11
Year: Senior
Position: Shooting Guard
Height: 6’0
Origin: Ontario, Cayo District
Age: 22
Hobbies: Playing basketball
Black says that this is the season of changes, and invites all fans to come out and support the team, which will have new players and a new game plan.
Jamal Kelly #7
Year: Senior
Position: Point Guard
Height: 6’ 1”
Origin: Hopkins, Stann Creek District
Age: 28
Hobbies: Playing basketball and watch NBA TV
Andrew Ortiz #23
Year: Senior
Height: 6’ 3”
Origin: Belize City
Age: 25
Hobbies: Playing sports and watching Discovery Channel
“This year we definitely want to bring home the championship, so we want everyone to come out and support the team,” said Ortiz.
The other team members include Emory Bennett, Keith Pollard and American Martevuius Adams, Belizean- American Jihad Wright. These team members are expected to join the team during the weekend so they can train ahead of the opening game.
Meet the boss
Rico Black is once again at the helm of the team, and told The Sun that this year he has taken his time to put the team together for a better performance this season. “We have very good shooters and we are bringing two players from the United States, which will definitely impact the team in a positive way,” said Rico. “We have been sub-champions for two consecutive times, so it is time we get back the championship.” The San Pedro Tiger Sharks have two championships within the NEBL since its reboot in 2013. A basketball veteran originally from the Corozal District, Black is proud of his team and their championships calibre.
This new season will mark the fifth annual NEBL tournament, in which seven teams will compete for the coveted prize at the end of the competition. The participating teams are: San Pedro Tiger Sharks, Orange Walk Running Rebels, Belize Hurricanes, Belmopan Bandits, Dangriga Dream Ballers, Belize City Defenders (replacing Belize City No Limit), and Verdes, who was previously Cayo Western Ballaz.
The opening game between San Pedro Tiger Sharks and Belmopan Bandits will be aired live on The National Channel starting with a pre-game show at 8PM.
 2018 season, the San Pedro Tiger Sharks are gearing up for their first game.){kind=link}