A youth basketball team from Antigua and Barbuda, known as the Pitbulls, kicked off their journey to neighboring St. Lucia on Monday to compete in one of the Caribbean’s most anticipated regional youth tournaments, the fifth annual Aloysius Daniel Youth Classic.
Hosted at the Beausejour Indoor Stadium, this year’s tournament will run from August 17 through 21, bringing together six competitive teams from five different Caribbean nations. Alongside the traveling Pitbulls and host nation St. Lucia’s representative squads, competitors will travel from Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana to contest for the regional title.
Unlike many last-minute preparations, the Antigua and Barbuda side has dedicated months to refining their strategies and building team cohesion, with training sessions kicking off as early as May to ensure they are in peak form for the cross-regional competition. The 15-player roster is led by captain Nathan Matthew, a standout player from St. Joseph’s Academy, and includes a mix of emerging young talent: Erije Joseph, Aiden Lewis, Tristan Thibou, Yohan Nicholas, Gabriel Desuza, Noah Massiah, Iczjaire Sebastian, Kadeem Simon, Raheem Sawyer, Jahaziel Santana, Elijah Charles, Kamal Mason, Marcus Murphy and Zende Dorsett.
The team’s technical staff brings combined years of coaching experience to the tournament, with Cedric David, Bradbury Browne and Edward Shaw stepping in as lead coaches. Oleno Knight fills the role of team manager, while Carl Knight serves as the overall school basketball coordinator supporting the program’s development.
For fans following the Pitbulls’ progress, the team has a clear match schedule laid out for their campaign. They will open their tournament play against the ECA Tigers at 2 p.m. local time on Tuesday, followed by a evening match-up against the ECA Lions at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Thursday will see them face off against D-UP Academy at 4 p.m., before they wrap up their group stage play against BFTV at 2 p.m. on Friday.