BASKETBALL'S Winter League starts next Saturday with interest greater than ever as the game goes from strength to strength. Bermuda Basketball Association president Tim Trott said there had been a flurry of activity with several attempts to get other new teams in the league which fell down at the final hurdle although newcomers St. George's International did make it into the Premier League.

The league is back in its old format of two divisions ? a Premier and an Adult Recreation of five teams each ? after last year's joint league eventually fell into two leagues by default as older players struggled to keep up with the younger guys.

But Trott hopes the league can expand next time to cope with demand which has seen people desperately trying to join established teams.

"We have people calling asking if teams are looking for members but most are going to stick with the same rosters."

But he hopes the interest can carry through into the Summer League.

"I honestly believe there will be more teams in the Summer League, especially with some of the younger guys back from school. We didn't want to rush it for the Winter League. We haven't had a Summer League for a while due to the Island Games where we were concentrating so much on training.

"But this year we might have a Winter, Summer and Fall league. It would be nice to get 20 teams this summer."

The association is now trying to focus on youth to make sure they carry through with the game after leaving school.

The high school season started two weeks ago and the BBA annual High School Tournament, dropped last year, will be run from Friday, February 24th to Saturday, March 4th, played at a various venues with the final at the new Warwick Academy gym. A youth clinic will be held in April every Saturday for several weeks.

The adult sport is also making the most of Bermuda's venues this year by roping in Mount St. Agnes, Bermuda High School and CedarBridge after most games were played at Bermuda College.

It is a deliberate policy to "spread the wealth", as Trott puts it, and he hopes to spread it still further when Saltus gym comes back on line along with the new Berkeley gym.

"It's good to have a foot in everybody's door so you can always switch venues if there is a clash," he said.

The BBA want to keep up the momentum in the adult game after last year's gold medal in the Island Games in Shetland and have organised a tour in Toronto next month.

The four-day trip will see the island's top players take on club sides after the success of a similar event last year.

"Last year we did it to look at guys on the borderline of making the Island Games team. This time we are looking at new guys interested in being selected," he said.

Also in the pipeline is Bermuda hosting a tournament which Trott hopes could be of sufficient stature to bring back pro player such as Sullivan Philips who is still with the London Towers in England.

The BBA will soon unveil a new website by the start of the season at www.bermudabasketball.org