THE second season of the Flow-sponsored National Basketball League (FNBL) is set to tip off on Saturday, April 21, with the opening game at the UTech auditorium.

Twenty-nine teams, including defending champion Tivoli Wizard — who will face Majesty Gardens in the opening match — are set to battle for this season’s crown.

At the launch at UTech’s Alfred Sangster Auditorium yesterday, it was announced that 29 teams from the conferences — southern (13 teams), central (five), eastern (five) and western (six) — will compete over the next four months to see who will be crowned national basketball champions for 2012.

Of the 29 teams, six were supposed to be new ones, including Lucea Flames and Savanah Hawks from the west, and Eastern Pistons, Spanish Town Spartans and St George’s Saints from the south.

However, one south conference side, Swallowfield All-stars, withdrew after losing a number players.

South conference teams will play just one round of games, with matches slated to be played at UTech, UWI and the National Stadium courts.

However, the west, east and central zones will play in a home-and-away format, with the top two teams from east and central, along with the topthree from the west and the top-nine from the south to advance to the play-offs.

Games in the west will be played at the Montego Bay Cricket Club, eastern conference matches will be contested at Folly Oval and the SDC courts, while central games will take place at Manchester High and at the Nain courts.

The league is in a three-year deal with title sponsors, Flow, worth $9 million a year, and JaBA has also partnered with TVJ in providing a weekly halfan-hour highlight package on Saturdays.

JaBA boss, Ajani Williams, promises that there will be a lot to look forward to from the new NBL season.

“2011 was a great year, but it wasn’t everything we wanted… but it helped us to get ready for this year,” he said.

However, he noted that JaBA has also established a new committee, headed by former president Marland Nattie (league director), to ensure a smoother-run league.

And he added that with even more games scheduled for UTech and UWI this season, he expects more fans to come out and support the games.

“We are grateful for the sponsorship from Flow… this is our second year together and the stocks will continue to rise because of the demand out there for basketball,” said Williams.

Meanwhile, Flow’s director of corporate and government affairs, Denise Williams (no relation to Ajani), said the sport is still growing and Flow sees the league as a good avenue for young players to grow and develop.

“The league will give our young players a chance to develop, be disciplined and show their skills,” she said.

“But in a time when the sponsorship dollar is not worth much, we knew this (sponsoring the NBL) was a must do… and we know it’s a great investment and we will see the benefits in the near future,” said the Flow executive.