By Andrew Coakley

FN Sports Editor

With the Phil Smith Legends Basket-ball Tournament set to take place this weekend in Nassau, excitement is in the air among basketball fans, especially those of the early 70s and 80s.

The thought of watching some of the best basketball players of our time get back on the basketball court, all at the same time, can make a historian giddy with excitement.

As one promoter put it, this weekend will be history in the making.

Some of these guys have not played on the same court in over 25 years, yet come Saturday, the best-of-the-best players of all time will gather at the Kendal Isaacs gymnasium for a basketball spectacular.

This will go beyond just a trip down memory lane. This will be like stepping out of the future into the past, while yet remaining in the present.

While the question that may be floating around in many people's minds may be "can these guys still play?", perhaps the biggest question that comes to mind with the thought of these guys getting back on the court is "will the players we see today become legends sometime in the future?"

It's a tricky question, because while we have many players today who are excellent ball players, can these guys 10, 15, 20 years from now be remembered as a legend of the game?

You see, a legend goes beyond just talent. These guys became legends, yes because of their skills and abilities on the basketball court, but also because of their charisma, their personality and their passion.

These guys drew people to the game. Back then, the basketball gyms were packed and fans were passionate, not just about the game, but about their team and specifically, about the players.

They knew the players by name - their nicknames. All you had to say was "Goon", The Kid", "Softly", "Magic", "Stretch" or "Smooth" and each fan knew exactly who they were talking about.

That's the stuff legends are made of.

Okay, I know that if you look up the word legend, it will describe it as "a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical, but unauthenticated; a myth".

Well, the way these guys played on the court can be authenticated. And it goes way beyond just a myth.

But one can only wonder, when these guys are all passed away, if players of today will have the same kind of effect and respect that players of the past earned.

Can we look forward to basketball legends in the future?

"Well, we're kind of a tough act to follow," joked Charlie 'Softly' Robins, former player with the kentucky Colonels, and the Island Lobsters and a former basketball coach, and who is no doubt considered a legend.

"If you notice, we have a problem with guys following us in the sport. When you look around, it's hard to find guys to step in that shoe and move the sport forward."

He's convinced that would-be legends are lurking somewhere among the younger players, but he says it's gonna take a while and a determination on behalf of the players to step up.

Basil "The Kid" Sands says that during his time working with high school players, he's noticed one disturbing trend among the youngsters that will prevent them from becoming great.

"It's poor work ethics," said Sands. "When we were playing, there was no such thing as a season for us, or such a thing as being out of shape at any point in our game.

"But I don't see that today. I don't see the love of doing something just for the sake of doing it anymore. A player can go into the gym on one night throw up 30 points, and he's happy with that.

"What about next week, next month, or five or six seasons from then? There is no longevity or consistency left among our younger players."

But let's be realistic; the times guys like "Softly" and Basil grew up in, there were few distractions, whereas today, kids have everything from television, to computers, to ipods, all vying for their attention.

What's more, sports, particularly basketball, was entertainment for fans, who also didn't have that many things to occupy their time. Sports was used to bring communities together.

It really doesn't work that way anymore, except with high school sports, which is a community within itself.

But it still boils down to the commitment (or lack thereof) of the athletes themselves. In the heyday of basketball in The Bahamas, those guys competed at Division One, NCAA and semi-pro level.

The Bahamas could afford to send top level players to the Pan American Games and those guys competed when they did travel to represent The Bahamas.

Today, some of the teams that are selected to compete on the international circuit should not even be travelling. Look at the scores by which some of those teams get beaten by. Sometimes it's embarrassing.

"That same kind of passion that we had for the game is missing," added Robins. "Not only a passion to play the game, but passion to learn more about the game. Some kids don't want you to tell them anything or give them any advice. In their mind they already know it all.

"And that right there is the wrong attitude. When you have a passion for something, you want to learn, you want to grow and know everything about that thing you're passionate about."

A lot of speculations persists as many give their views of why they feel young ball players of today may grow up and never become legends like players of the past.

One person even went as far as to make the comparison with music of today and music of the past.

"You realise that songs of the 60s and 70s are still being played today and considered vintage," said a basketball coach. "You think that come 20, 30 years from now, they will be playing the songs these kids listen to today and consider them vintage?

"I seriously doubt that. Why? Because most of the songs of today have no substance. So, consider, that's what a lot of our kids are made up of today."

There is no doubt that many ball players of today are just as (or maybe better) talented as players of the past, however, there remains the challenge of finding that missing element that will transform them from great ball players to legends in the years to come.