Has the GSSBA drifted into oblivion?

Jan 24, 2009 Sports

– silence, inactivity threatening

Karen Abrams

By Edison Jefford
The idea of a uniformed national basketball competition for secondary schools fascinated players and enthusiasts but the initiative failed to advance and its future seems oblivious after months of silence and inactivity.
The Guyana Secondary School Basketball Association (GSSBA) exploded unto the local scene with a lot of fervour and support from the media after managing to put together a clear vision for basketball in high schools.
This writer was the first to break the news of the association’s ideas for the development of a school’s League where each participating school would benefit from gear, including uniforms, equipment and coaching assistance.
After revealing its proposal in 2006, the GSSBA had meetings with major stakeholders that included the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport as a means of information and integration.
But something went terribly wrong at the implantation phase of the project one year later when the GSSBA decided to start its League. The theoretical excitement evaporated into unenthusiastic support and mere participation.
The disparity between theory and practice was disheartening for the association that had set up an office in Guyana with a fulltime secretary to handle the administration of the League and any other related business.
To be mild, what was promised was not delivered and no explanation was given. In 2008, the GSSBA League did not come off and again, no explanation was forthcoming from the United States–based management team.
Coupled with inactivity, strange silence crept into an extremely vocal organisation that in the process of projecting a promising vision for its League, forgot that seeds need time to grow and ultimately bear the desired fruit.
The image now is that the GSSBA is drifting into oblivion and the technical official that managed several aspects of the initial League was at a lost when Kaieteur Sport made contact recently for some justification.
The official, who requested anonymity, said that communication is non–existent between the two parties and a reason cannot be supplied from the local end as to the current status of the League or any other GSSBA matter.
The architects of the GSSBA operated an internet technology company at the location of its basketball office. This newspaper understands that the business closed sometime last year and so was the League’s headquarters.
The media is, and will always be, a proactive industry, which means that our primary role is to get the news as opposed to reacting to the news. That does not exempt associations from effective communication mechanisms.
In other words, just as the GSSBA betrothed the media with its vision for the schools’ League that was well documented, it could have also engaged the same fraternity on the current status of its operations in Guyana.
The association have opened the floodgates for the National Sports Commission (NSC) to recognise the urgent need for the sport in the schools. The GSSBA had filled this chasm with its intention but that is now history.

Leon Christian

Director of Sport, Neil Kumar recently announced an inaugural high school’s basketball competition, which the ministry hopes will be played at the national level within the next two to three years of its conception.
Had the GSSBA been potent enough then there would not have been the need for such an event since one would have already been in existence. The ministry has capitalised on the absence of basketball in secondary schools.
One could argue that the more tournaments that the schools are exposed to could serve to develop the players but not in the context of Guyana where venue is limited to the Sports Hall and a few other outdoor facilities.
The GSSBA will have to challenge the NSC for venue access and a calendar space when it decides to return. In addition, the association will be in a secondary position in any type of negotiation with the Sports Commission.
The association had a perfect scoring opportunity when its idea for the sport in the school system was conceived but instead of finishing strong, Kumar got a big steal from national players Leon Christian and Karen Abrams.