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IE Ends
16-year Championship Drought
…Launches US$20,000.00 Fund-Drive - By
Burgess Carter
Published: 03 June, 2006
Richard “The Fish” Martin opened with a three pointer and closed
with a lay-up for his team’s first title in 16 years, and the crowd
held him high in appreciation
He deposited a long-range trade mark three pointer almost two
minutes in the first quarter and a lay-up in the last seconds of the
fourth. Those memorable five points were the magic wand that helped
to end his team's unprecedented 16 years of championship drought.
His name is Richard “The Fish” Martin, captain of the recently
crowned champion of the Liberia Basketball Federation (LBF) national
league, Invincible Eleven affectionately known as “Sunshine Yellow
Boys.”
The derby was the fifth of the best-of-five playoff finals between
under-rated IE and the star-studded NPA-Pythons that have dominated
local basketball in recent years.
From that initial three pointer, it became clear to even basketball
Doubting Thomases that Pythons would need every ammunition in its
arsenal to contain the determination-charged IE from taking the
title shield.
Even Raphael Quaye, that great lad who is counted among the best
point guards in local basketball did what he could with his usual
daring penetrations of his opponents' territory, but failed to
acquire the desired results. This was as a result of the IE
technical team's, headed by former player Philip “Wegee” Doe and
Teah S. Weah, ability to decipher the secret power that had
propelled Pythons to consistent dominance of local basketball.
Pythons erased IE six- point lead to end the first quarter 15-all,
but IE came back even stronger and more determined in the second
quarter to end the score 42-37 points.
Following several ties, IE’s persistence helped them end the third
quarter 56-54, and by then the early warning signal of a bad end for
Pythons was getting clearer.
The fourth and last quarter anxiously awaited was finally ushered in
and the fate of the game was placed in the hands of the technical
heads of both teams.
What followed was a continuation of the see-saw battle that
characterized the previous quarters. At 68-all and with 45 seconds,
IE hit twice to take a 72-69 lead. Pythons were hoping to find play
for a three pointer, but a turn over sent the ball in the path of IE
captain Richard who perfectly scored from a lay-up on the buzzer,
sending hundreds of ecstatic IE fans onto the court.
A still celebrating Richard, where contacted to comment on his
success story, decided to give everything to God by saying: “Glory
is to God first, and the few people that contributed financially
towards our successful campaign that ended the 16- year-old
championship drought,” Invincible Eleven (IE) basketball team
captain Richard “The Fish” Martin confided in our reporter.
Richard, in a telephone interview with the WEEKEND OBSERVER,
said it was God first who gave them the physical courage and
spiritual power that helped them as players to bring joy once more
to their thousands of fans since they last won the LBF championship
in 1990.
IE, led by Richard Martin last Sunday, defeated NPA-Pythons 74-69
points in the best-of-five playoff finals of this season's Liberia
Basketball Federation national league.
It may be recalled that in 1990 during the infancy of Liberia's
14-year civil war, IE which boasted of some of the biggest names in
local basketball, including Richard Martin, beat Pythons 2-0 in the
best-of-three final then. Since then, the club has failed to appear
at continental competitions as champion.
The veteran local basketball star, who ventured briefly into the
wilds to pursue greener pastures in the game, also showered praises
on the technical team headed by former IE player Philip “Weegee” Doe
and Teah S. “Borbor” Weah for ably steering the team to its feat.
Richard underscored the need for all IE fans and supporters to let
by-gone be by-gone, and use the basketball team's victory as
catalyst for reconciling the membership. “We can start the process
by organizing a major parade of the principal streets of Monrovia
with our well deserved trophies as is done universally.”
The championship title may not have come at a better time when the
IE/Majestic Sports Association is going through the worst years of
its almost seventy years of existence. The football team is
relegated and is going through an uphill battle to return to the
premier division where its arch-rival Mighty Barrolle is comfortably
placed.
In an exclusive interview with this paper this week IE chairman of
the board, Mr. Willard A. Russell, described the basketball team's
recent championship title win as the best thing to happen to an
association that is going through a very tough period.
Realizing the present decline in the standard of the association,
the IE board chairman said the Board of Directors had decided to
launch a campaign known as “Operation Rescue IE.”
Mr. Russell who once coached the IE girls basketball team during the
“glorious '80s”, disclosed that a fund raising campaign will soon be
launched to raise an amount of US$20,000.00 for both the basketball
and football teams of the association, and assured that IE
basketball team would be in Abidjan for the African Club
Championship Competition which will be held between June and July,
2006.
He said the board had appointed a management committee whose mandate
will be to administer the affairs of the teams for three months,
draw up a short, medium and long term agenda for the association,
and submit a short term program to the board.
The committee is headed by Mr. Winston Doe, with Messrs Nathaniel
Barnes, Charles Allen, Ervin Coleman and Freddie Taylor serving as
members. Also on the committee is the current acting president and
vice president for Fan Club Affairs, Mr. Harry Sheriff.
Chairman Russell gave special praises to the reactivated “IE
Concerned Few”, an auxiliary group of the association that once
played prominent roles in bringing most needed assistance to teams
of the association whenever they were involved in local or
international competitions.
He said Mr. Francois Junius (Chairman) and his team of IE Concerned
Few are working together in finding immediate remedy to the
association, especially the football team which needs to return to
the premier division of the LFA league
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