Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
Tina Myers-Matalon (right), marketing manager of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), greets members of the Jamaica female basketball team before the press conference yesterday morning, where the fast food giants announced their sponsorship of the national team, at the company's corporate offices. From left are Rashida Aikens, Venessa Gidden, Oberon Pitterson and Daisy Pedley. - Contributed
AN ELEVENTH-HOUR intervention by long-time supporters Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) ensured that Jamaica's women's basketball team will be able to take part in this years, Centro-basket Championships, which tips off tomorrow in Mexico City.
Crowned Caribbean champions for the first time in their history exactly one week ago at the National Indoor Sports Centre, the team found themselves scrambling to secure funding for their participation in this year's tournament.
The Jamaicans had wrapped up the crown in impressive fashion, going undefeated throughout the tournament.
Their celebrations were, however, cut short with the news that the 800,000-dollar target required for airfare for the 12-member team and officials had not been achieved. This situation had left some players unhappy, including former WNBA Seattle Storms centre Simone Edwards.
"We basically have to be out here begging for a chance to represent our country and I don't think that's right," a visibly disappointed Edwards had said two days ago at a press conference at The Hilton Kingston hotel, when they had not yet secured full funding for the trip.
Edwards recently retired from the WNBA, a decision that was in addition to other factors heavily hinged on the fact that the team would not have given her time off to participate in this year's tournament for Jamaica.
However, continued support from the KFC franchise will spare the Jamaica Basketball Association (JBA) blushes.
MAJOR SPONSORS
The corporate giants, who were also major sponsors of the Caribbean Basketball Champion-ships and National Basketball League, announced that they would give a 60 per cent ($480,000) contribution to the total or 10 of the 16 tickets required for the trip, while other sponsors and some of the NBL teams contributed to the remaining 40% ($320,000) total.
The Jamaica team missed out on a chance to compete at the Centrobasket tournament, after placing third in 2004 in Cuba, which had also guaranteed them a qualifying spot, inadequate funding prevented the team from advancing on that occasion.
The team, which is expected to leave the island later today, hopes to qualify from the Centrobasket tournament then to the FIBA Americas Tournament next year and from there to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The Centrobasket tournament will run from the 25th to the 29th of this month.
