Holders Gżira Athleta will launch their title defence against Cynergi Depiro in the quarter-finals of the men’s BOV Knock-Out after the draws were made at the Malta Basketball Association (MBA) offices yesterday.
With only the top two teams in last season’s championship seeded, Athleta, who had the better of Virtus Cynergi in the 2016 final, must start their campaign at the quarter-final stage and will face Depiro on November 13 with the winner meeting Floriana MCP Car Parks in the semis.
The other quarter-final features Hibs and BUPA Luxol, with the winner of the tie facing Starlites in the last four, scheduled for January 8.
In the KO competition for Division Two sides, Marvels Power Places meet Athleta’s second team in the preliminary round with the winner facing Starlites in the semi-finals on November 20.
The other last-four match will be contested by Mellieħa Tritones and Siġġiewi St Nicholas.
This season, the BOV Knock-Out finals will be held earlier than usual with the Division One showdown pencilled in for January 29 while the Division Two competition final will be played on December 18.
“We are expecting another interesting competition which we hope will produce entertaining fare for local basketball followers,” Paul Sultana, the hard-working president of the MBA, told a news conference yesterday.
“The most pleasing factor so far has been the contribution of upcoming players from our academies who are also making their mark in the first division competitions in both the men’s and women’s categories.
“Credit should be given to the coaches who are running our academies, namely Sandro Farrugia, Silvia Gambino, Kristen Baldacchino, Rueben Baldacchino and Karl Borg. They are doing an excellent job under the supervision of national coaches Angela Adamoli and Andrea Paccarie.
“These young players represent the future of basketball in Malta and we are seeing encouraging signs that make us confident of raising the level of our game further.”
For his part, Peter Perotti, chief officer at sponsors BOV, said the bank has been supporting Maltese basketball for over 40 years and encouraged more companies to invest in this discipline.
“Bank Of Valletta has been backing local basketball since the 1970s and it’s our intention to keep supporting the Malta Basketball Association for many years to come,” Perotti said.
“My message today is for other private enterprises to come and join us in this venture.
“The Malta Basketball Association is always in need of financial support and it’s important that more companies invest in this sport.
“The association has been working hard over the past few years to develop this sport and the game has truly evolved in the right direction.
“I hope that more entities will give their support to this sport which can grow further if it receives more funding.”
The draw
Division One
Quarter-finals: November 13 – Gżira Athleta vs Cynergi Depiro; Hibernians vs BUPA Luxol.
Semi-finals: January 8 – Starlites vs Hibs/Luxol; Floriana vs Athleta/Depiro.
Final: January 29.
Division Two
Preliminary round: November 17 – Marvels Power Places vs Gżira Athleta.
Semi-finals: November 19 – Mellieħa vs Siġġiewi. November 20 – Starlites vs Marvels/Gżira Athleta.
Final: December 18.