The KFC National Basketball Leagueand the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports Schools Under-16 Boys’ Basketball Tournament ended last week, with Soufriere Kings repeating as champions of the country’s premier basketball competition. Meanwhile, St Mary’s College emerged victorious among six teams in the schools’ development initiative.
But what do these results, along with performances in other local tournaments, tell us about the state of local basketball? To find out, St Lucia Times’ Sports Editor Terry Finisterre spoke with Saint Lucia Basketball Federation President Kala Guiste, who shared his insights on the game and the steps needed to make it better.
SLT: We just concluded the 2025 KFC National Basketball League, the top echelon of the domestic game. Are you happy with the organisation and the level of basketball being played?
KG: Yeah, the organisation was top-notch this year, I must say, with the use of the indoor facility for every single game. It’s a plus for the game. As for the level of basketball, there’s always so much room for improvement. One of the highlights was the integration of a lot of youngsters into the league. It speaks volumes for us moving forward.
SLT: Soufriere are defending champions, and Vieux Fort have returned to national competition, but we’ve lost Dennery, and most of the teams are still based in Castries and Gros Islet. How do we spread the game throughout the country?
KG: A lot of work has been happening in the background. Dennery, for example, should be joining the league next year. Canaries as well. So we’re working to get the game decentralised. Micoud should be in. As to their level of readiness for next year…, it’s touch and go. But we definitely are looking to decentralise the game, and get as many of the communities back into the picture of Saint Lucia basketball.
As of now, at least four of them have reaffiliated. So that is a plus. Getting them into gear to play is the next challenge. And we are working closely with them to make it happen at all levels – not just the senior level, but at the youth levels as well.
SLT: That said, we’ve also lost some of the former powerhouse teams like Vide Boutielle, Courts Jets are just coming back up. One of the concerns voiced over the years is that many local sports teams don’t have a high degree of continuity, simply because they lack proper executive structures. How does the federation address that issue?
KG: One of the mandates of the federation is to strengthen the capacity of all its affiliates. As the saying goes, you are only as strong as your weakest affiliate. The problem is not as prevalent in the out-districts as it is in the Castries area, because in the out-districts, most of the teams are run through the sports councils, which already have that structure. So it’s an easier fix at that end. In the north, where there are more clubs, that is where the challenge is.
One of the solutions we have identified is administrative support on our end; the administrative development, running seminars and courses on different aspects of administration to strengthen that capacity. One of the goals is to get every club to have an academy and a female programme up to senior level. It is very doable, and the discussions have already started on the technical front to help them achieve that.
SLT: Out of 23 or 24 eligible schools, only six are competing in the Under-16 division, whilst we had just 10 in the Under-19. What does that say about the state of basketball, and how do we improve at that level?
KG: Well, that is an improvement. This year, we saw an improvement in the number of teams in both divisions. And, again, we are working on getting more schools involved, having clubs work with schools, and having the development of the community programmes integrated into the school. So it’s a work in progress. But we have seen an improvement in the number of schools. And next year, you’re going to see more schools in both divisions because of the work that is happening.
One of the goals again is to start at a lower level. So we are kind of behind the eight ball in that, where we wanted to at least start with some sort of primary school engagement, whether it’s festivals or modified tournaments. But we are working towards getting that problem solved, because of the work we put into development.
SLT: Women’s basketball has been non-existent at the school level and nationally. But there are obvious opportunities there, with women like Megan Nestor and Daynia Laforce excelling at university despite not having much of a local grounding in the game. How do the federation and central Government work together to grow that aspect of basketball?
KG: From the federation’s end, we are taking steps to get that going. We are in conversation with one or two entities. We’re looking to get a female basketball coordinator on board to manage the affairs of female basketball, to see through the development programme based on our strategic plan. One of the reasons for attending the FIBA congress in Bahrain earlier this year was to see how we could improve, or how they could assist us in getting ahead, and we had great discussions with the FIBA hierarchy in that regard. And we should be seeing some resources, technical mainly, toward that front. And come 2026, a lot more will be happening for female basketball.
SLT: The men’s national team hasn’t played in several years. What needs to be done to revive the dormant national programme, and what are the next steps?
KG: We were planning on at least kicking it off right after the National League. We were due a visit by the University of Guyana, and the plan was to select a squad coming out of the National League. We would have called it a league XI, but it would have been the start of the national programme. The intention is still to get some engagement come August/September to kick off that programme.
SLT: You have been handed a magic wand. What’s the single most important intervention you think needs to be made to uplift basketball in Saint Lucia?
KG: A youth league, just like all the other sports. And it’s coming. We’re hoping to have it going by February/March next year. Under-15s and Under-18s, in that range. Youth basketball leagues with all the communities we spoke of earlier involved – the Canaries, Soufriere, the clubs from Castries, the entire island represented in Under-15 and Under-18 basketball tournaments and played around the island. But having said that, with the same stroke of that wand, we would need to get the facilities up to par so we could get [the leagues] happening around the island, not just in the north.
KFC League Individual Honours
– Most Points: Ryan Philogene, Courts Jets 22 ppg
– Regular season MVP: Ryan Philogene, Courts Jets
– Most Assists: Sharmoir Jn Baptiste, Morne Gladiators
– Most Blocks: Jerren St Clair, Morne Gladiators
– Most Rebounds: Jayxan Justin, East Coast Academy
– Most Steals: Jean Michel Eloise, East Coast Academy
