By LeVaughn Flynn, Staff ReporterPROMOTED NATIONAL Basketball League team Rae Town Raptors face reigning champ Tivoli All-Stars in the first of a tripleheader at the Stadium courts today beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Other match-ups in the KFC/Cable & Wireless sponsored league are St. George's Slayers and Urban Knights at 5 p.m. and Braves Chiefs and Harbour View Lakers at 7 p.m.
Tivoli may have been slightly depleted by absence of one of their players, Orville Perkins, who was suspended for three years in 2002 for 'allegedly striking an opponent', according to the match reports.
LOCKED IN A MEETING
Tivoli's management made an appeal to the national council of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA) to reinstate Perkins before the three-year period expires. Up to late last night, the executive of the JaBA, along with conference delegates and Tivoli's management, were locked in a meeting discussing the issue.
After the meeting, president of the JaBA Marland Nattie informed The Gleaner that Tivoli's request to have Perkins reinstated in the league before the end of his suspension was overturned.
"We will have a next meeting to discuss the issue again," Nattie said.
Perkins has served about half of the period.
After losing their opening game to Urban Knights last Saturday, the West Kingston team is expected to come out gunning in order to reassert themselves as reigning champs.
Raptors, however, should not be a cakewalk for Tivoli as they defeated Urban Knights and may have the requisite skill and depth to overturn Tivoli.
