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It’s happening at the right time, says Robinson
October 02, 2025
If ever there was a perfect moment for staging a basketball competition, then the Marland Nattie Legends 3x3 (three-on-three) Basketball Tournament has nailed a buzzer-beater with its schedule this coming Saturday.
National competitions have either just finished or are winding down, and within a month, national teams will be continuing their quest for advancement towards regional and global championships in short-court, unconventional formats of the sport.
"It's happening at the right time," noted Rohan Robinson, coordinator of the Marland Nattie Legends 3-on-3 basketball Tournament, which will have its second staging at the University of Technology (UTech) in Papine, St Andrew.
"We had a very good turnout the last one and we expect a bigger turnout (for) this one, especially at this time now where we're at finals time in our Division One league, and the NBL league has just concluded," he said.
"So everybody is free and in some shape. So we know it's going to be a very competitive one."
The competition, run by the Marland Nattie Oberon Pitterson (MNOP) Foundation, is held in honour of stalwarts Marland Nattie and Elfraito 'Alf' Remekie, who were heavily involved with the Jamaica Basketball Association and dedicated their lives to the local game up to their passing within the past two years.
Teams, of four, can register on the Instagram page (mnopdata2025) for the Marland Nattie 3x3 Legends Basketball Tournament. Registration fee is $4,000 per team.
TOURNAMENTS
Currently, the national body is busy preparing Jamaica's senior men's team for two tournaments at month-end; the 3-on-3 Americas Cup tournament in Mexico that runs from October 27-29, and the 5x5 World Cup Qualifiers in November.
After placing second in group action alongside Mexico, Barbados and Costa Rica in August, Jamaica will play Canada, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas in 5x5 World Cup qualifying, with the winner of the playoffs moving onto the semi-finals. Both finalists will advance to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup.
Though they have an established core of players Robinson, assistant coach and director of player personnel for Jamaica's basketball says Saturday's 3x3 championship allows the national coaching staff to "see what is what" in a talent pool expected to throw up the nation's very best.
Competition takes place in three categories, under-19 male, Open Female and Open Male. Manchester team Rebels (U19), Sim's Angels (Open Female) and Team Nattie were last year's champions.
FIBA ENDORSED
The Legends championship is sanctioned by FIBA, a three-point play of sorts.
"Because it is a FIBA-endorsed event, players gain points for each tournament they enter. And not just players, but also the Jamaica Basketball Association, they earn points which puts them further on the charts where 3-on-3 basketball is concerned," MNOP Foundation Secretary Kiesha Lindsay.
Those rankings could equate to Jamaica not having to qualify for certain 3x3 international competitions by playing pool tournaments, but instead be waiting among selected nations for other teams to qualify.
For individuals, Robinson explained: "There are professional 3x3 leagues. Teams could go on the FIBA website and look up a player to see their experience, where they have played, how many rankings points they have tallied and so forth to get a gauge on their level.
"So it's a two-way benefit ... national and individual," he said.
HONOUREES
Besides representing Jamaica, Nattie, a former stellar player at Kingston College and its club team Kingston College Old Boys, was JABA president from 1997-2008, and he was instrumental in getting the National Basketball League started in the early 2000s. He also served as a coach and was Vice-President of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation.
Remekie was a founding member of the Jamaica Basketball Association, who for more than 30 years served as a coach, developing and mentoring numerous players and coaches, especially in the St Catherine parish and at G.C. College of Physical Education and Sport.
