Neil’s cherished Basketball dream
The opening day of Niel's Junior Basketball Academy - Pix by Ranjith Perera
Neil Perera a keen sportsman and promoter, with the intention to serve sports retired from the Mercantile Services and embarked another mission. Now Neil is looking at promoting his pet subject — Basketball at the MCA Complex. Neil, who excelled in Cricket and Basketball for St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa in the early sixties, became the President of the Mercantile Cricket Association (MCA) in 2008 representing David Pieris Motor Co. and then he went on to become the President of the Masters Basketball Sri Lanka (MBSL) in 2014.
Neil Perera orchestrated the construction and completion of the MCA floodlit Basketball Court in 2007. Neil fulfilled another ambition in his sports carrier, when he inaugurated a Junior Basketball Coaching Academy at the MCA Courts last Saturday. Perera, a vigilant and honest administrator has got the services of Jayantha Karunaratne and Jeevanie Wijeratne to assist him with the Coaching. Karunaratne was an ex-national basketball player and selector, who represented Sri Lanka Police, a FIBA Referee and former President of the Mercantile Services Basketball Association.
Jeevani Wijeratne, too was a former national basketball player, currently following a diploma course in sports science and she has undergone an advanced training course in sports in Malaysia recently. Coaching classes limited for Boys and Girls between 8 to 15 years are held on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 am to 10 am at the MCA Basketball Courts. The first batch of students were: Senuka Edirisinghe from Lycium, Wattala, Shenal Weerasekera from St. Nicholas, Menaka Vass from St. Joseph’s, Darley Road and Nethra Vass from St. Bridget’s Convent. While developing the game of Basketball at junior level, the Academy will focus its attention to uplift ‘on’ and ‘off’ court discipline.