Sweaterz takes Veronica Bishop Basketball Classic Title

Sweaterz emerged victorious in the finals of the Veronica Bishop Basketball Classic on Sunday, July 21, 2025, at the Campden Park Hard Court when they defeated Heat Seekazz 62-48 in the finals on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Three of four teams that were expected to compete took to the field for the event organised by the Kishon ‘Bishai’ Bishop-owned Blue Chip Basketball Academy, alongside Kendyl Thomas, President of Blue Chip Basketball Academy.

The four teams that were scheduled to compete in the July 12 and 13, 2025 event were: Heat Seekazz, Northern Boyz, Sweaterz, and Sion Hill Pacers, but Northern Boyz did not show up.

“ We were very disappointed about that, but the show must go on,” Bishop, who is also a director of Blue Chip Basketball Academy told SEARCHLIGHT.

Sweaterz comprises older men who who “literally sweat together on Sundays here at Camden Park. But the difference in our team is that we have players who understand the game. Even though our fitness is not there, we know how to slow the game down. We know how to speed the game up because we have the skill sets,” Bishop said.

He noted that captain, Randolph Williams, was also his skipper when St Vincent and the Grenadines won the Windward Islands Senior Basketball Championships in 2010 in Grenada, and the Blue Chips outfit also contains a few other former national players.

Bishop is not happy that there is no continuous basketball programme in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), noting that one reason for organising the Veronica Bishop Basketball Classic was”to reignite basketball in St. Vincent and the Grenadines”.

Bishop pointed out that Campden Park and Calliaqua are the only two communities with basketball shooting rings.

“So being here, a citizen and a resident of Campden Park… we choose to have the vibes, so I was very, very satisfied with the weather and the outcome of this event”.

He thinks that like T20 has transformed cricket, basketball also needs a transformation.

“Basketball has to have a newer form of it, and I’m not talking about 3×3. There are other modifications you can make… like time,” but, “first of all our sports needs to be a little bit more entertaining….” and the sporting hierarchy needs to have a broader vision for sports.

The Blue Chip Basketball Academy is a programme within a non-profit called Hope and Hope.

“Hope and Hope means… first hope of eternal life through Christ. The second hope is a hope of a better life through education and sports.”