Cayman International School (CIS) hosted its 5th Annual Blue Iguana International Basketball Jamboree from Wednesday, March 9 to Sunday, March 13. The participating schools included two international schools, American International School of Kingston (AISK) and International School of Aruba (ISA), who were hosted by CIS families, and four local schools, CIS, Cayman Prep, Triple C and Wesleyan Christian Academy.

The Jamboree kicked off on Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. with an opening rally to welcome all teams and generate fan support in the ARC at Camana Bay. CIS students in grades K to 12 participated in fun games at the rally, received t-shirts from Cayman Screen Print, and enjoyed a competitive game of knock-out featuring players from the represented school. The tournament games started at 2:15 p.m. on Friday and featured six games with all six teams.

In the opening game on Friday, CIS, the home team, defeated visiting team ISA. That set the tone for a very competitive tournament. CIS ended the day second in their pool play bracket. On Saturday, teams were seeded in the double-elimination tournament bracket based on Friday’s results. Games started at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and finished at 6:30 p.m.

In the first game on Saturday morning, CIS defeated AISK in overtime. They went on to their second round match against Triple C but lost and was sent to the 3rd place bracket. In another exciting game, CIS lost in double overtime to Cayman Prep in a game that sent Prep to the 3rd place game against ISA. Wesleyan and Triple C won every game leading up to the championship game. In the championship game, Wesleyan defeated Triple C. Wesleyan took home the championship trophy as the reigning champions for the 5th year in a row, and Triple C finished in 2nd place. Cayman Prep took home 3rd place by defeating ISA who finished in 4th place.

Many staff members and student volunteers from CIS, helped to make this tournament a success. CIS is equally appreciative of the sponsors who supported the event. The event was sponsored and supported by Uniregistry ®, The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort, the Jacques Scott Group, and Cayman Screen Print. The success of the tournament is a tribute to all staff and student volunteers, sponsors, and host families.

“The Jamboree has been a wonderful event for the CIS community and for the visiting players and coaches. Every year, CIS families host the international visiting players and coaches in their homes, and they value the important relationships they establish with other international schools in the Caribbean. CIS also welcomes the presence and representation of other local schools as it encourages and promotes healthy competition and good sportsmanship,” said Doug Murphy, CIS Secondary Principal and a coordinator for the annual event.

IMAGES:

1. Bob and crowd: CIS and Blue Iguana Jamboree mascot, Bob Iguana, helps to get the crowd excited for the tournament.
2. CIS vs ISA: CIS player, Marcelo Suarez, steals the ball from ISA during the opening game of the tournament.
3. Wesleyan: Wesleyan, 5th time jamboree champion, stands up as they are welcomed by the crowd at the rally.