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GABF releases national blueprint for development
– Mega international tournament planned for August
By Edison Jefford
In a comprehensive document that addresses training for officials and administrators, and basketball at the junior, senior, male and female levels with local, regional and less global scope, the blueprint for national basketball was released.
David Patterson
Kaieteur Sport received the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) programmes for the remainder of this year and 2011. The GABF had promised the document when the new President, David Patterson took office earlier this year.
The next major events are a Sports Administrators’ Seminar on June 26 and hosting eight international teams in August. Patterson was asked to comment further on the anticipated and unprecedented international tournament yesterday.
He told this newspaper via telephone that the Washington D.C Jammers will commence a very rigorous Summer Programme on August 14, following their arrival. He said they are to play Guyana’s male team for the ‘Godwin McPherson Trophy’.
In addition to the D.C Jammers’ tour, Patterson revealed that Coach Larry Davis is likely to accompany both the South Carolina male and female teams to Guyana around the final week of August. Davis had brought the female team last year.
Running concurrently with the Jammers’ tour, a New York-based team is scheduled to be a part of the fixture that also includes Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados. Patterson said that he is still “talking” with Suriname to have them included.
To complete the eight international teams that are anticipated here this summer, President and Coach of Women’s Basketball in Guyana, Michaela Burnett is suppose to introduce a Washington-based female team to the tournament.
“Our women, therefore, will be engaged in a triangular tournament with the Carolina lady team, and the team that Mickey is suppose to bring from Washington,” Patterson revealed yesterday, adding that both versions of basketball will benefit.
He informed also that he had a meeting last week with President of Barbados’ Basketball Association about them having a women’s team playing in Guyana this summer when he discovered that Barbados has a vibrant women’s League.
The international exposure for the national women’s team will come on the heels of those programmed events for women’s development, which includes, according to the GABF, a national inter-club tournament in October and Antigua tour in December.
Asked about the preparation of the national senior men’s team, Patterson indicated that he and the GABF Executive has given Vice-President, Floyd Levi responsibilities to oversee the four-member technical team setup to prepare the local squad.
With the revelation of the rigorous summer of international basketball here, Mark Agard, Robert Cadogan, Abdulla Hamid and Kirk Fraser was identified as the technical officials that will prepare the local teams for the competition.
“We are not going to any international tournaments this year, but that does not mean that we cannot play international basketball. We will use this as our ticket to CARICOM next year,” Patterson continued with this newspaper.
The GABF President stated that they are currently working on the logistics to host the mega event this summer. He said that the initiative is aimed at improving Guyana’s male and female teams for tournaments beyond these shores.
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