Keisha Hill, Staff Reporter

Marketing and sales director at the National Supply Company, Donovan Chin-See (third left), shares a humorous moment with members of the National Basketball League (NBL) championship team Urban Knights during a breakfast sponsored by the company in the team's honour at the Knutsford Court hotel yesterday. - Contributed

PLAYERS, COACHES and directors of the victorious National Basketball League (NBL) Urban Knights team were yesterday lauded for their stellar performance in the league at a breakfast hosted in their honour by sponsors, National Supply Company, at the Knutsford Court hotel in Kingston.

Mid-season champions Knights clinched the KFC NBL title on Sunday, December 9, after a 94-77 win over Blazing Panthers, to complete a 2-0 victory in the best-of-three finals at the National Stadium courts.

Urban Knights were winning their second title in the past four years.

A fantastic time

The season filled with challenges, was, according to Gordon Porter, Urban Knights president, a fantastic time in the history of the club.

"We are basking in the excellence of the players and of the programme itself," Porter said.

"Although faced with several interruptions and delays, we must recognise and give credit to the team," he said.

National Supply's marketing and sales director, Donovan Chin-See, even as he congratulated the team, said his company's support was not predicated on winning.

"We have grown with Urban Knights over the years. It is not about whether we win or lose, but it is about how we play the game," Chin-See said.

Outside the box

"We want to encourage other private-sector companies to become involved in sponsoring more sporting activities in Jamaica. These companies need to look outside the box and realise that if they sow good seeds - they will reap good rewards - as we have," he said.

Captain of the team and Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season, Linton Murray, challenged the audience to raise the bar of local basketball in Jamaica.

"We took it on ourselves to move the game forward all season. We have been in training since October 2006, but we persevered and now we have reaped the fruits of our labour," he said.