Axe to fall on senior national basketball teams

Jul 21, 2010 Sports

– Coaching Staff, final teams to be selected

By Edison Jefford

Despite poor turnouts at the previous two national senior basketball tryouts, which were given to disagreeable times, the axe is expected to fall on both the male and female shortlisted players this weekend when the final sessions are hosted at the Sports Hall.

The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) had named 35 males and 24 females in two provisional squads called for training ahead of an International Series in August. However, those squads will be further reduced to 15 each after this weekend.

Robert Cadogan

Floyd Levi

Vice-President in charge of operations at the federation, Floyd Levi, told Kaieteur Sport recently that they will go ahead with the naming of the two teams this weekend despite the sessions’ poor attendance last weekend, which was replicated the weekend before.

“We are going for a Coaching Staff as in the NBA where we will have a Head Coach and his two Assistant Coaches, with one working on defence and one on offence. We’ll name those and the 15 players for both teams after this weekend,” Levi indicated.

“We will keep the naming of the teams on schedule because time is running out on us. We don’t want to be in a situation where August comes and we have to be behind with the preparations of our actual teams that will take the court,” the GABF V.P continued.

He admitted that there was a problem with getting all the players to turn up at the sessions since the 9am-1pm time on Saturday proved a difficulty for those who had work duties. He indicated that they are reviewing the times and will make a release later.

One of the coaches, who have been working with the squad, Robert Cadogan agreed that the time was a little bit off for the players to attend. He stated that the last practice session only had two players from Linden and that could prove a major disadvantage.“Most of the guys are working between those times that were set. It was really inappropriate but I have asked the GABF to set new times for this weekend so everyone can turn up and have one or two real chances of making the final team,” Cadogan said.

Asked if he feels that it will be a bit unfair to have the team selected after just three weekends of tryouts with the last one scheduled to be the only well-attended session, Cadogan said that all the players have been playing basketball and the coaches have seen them.

“If I am appointed Coach, I know what I have in mind. I feel the process is a little stiff because it should have been done a month or two ago but we have to work with what we have and I hope it will give all the players a fair chance, so they should come out,” he said.

Cadogan believes that with the plans of the federation to have those quality teams in Guyana, the Coaching Staff will be pressed to select the best possible team. He did not say whether they have a few practice games set up for the teams before the series.

As part of a comprehensive two-year developmental plan the national federation will host one of the first International Series to be held in Guyana in the New Millennium. The Washington D.C Jammers will commence the series mid-August after their arrival.

The senior male team will play the Jammers for the ‘Godwin McPherson Trophy’.

The Jammers are expected to commence that series on August 14. In addition, male and female South Carolina teams are expected in Guyana around the final week of August.

Coach Larry Davis had brought the female team last year. A New York-based team is scheduled to be a part of the fixture that also proposes to include Antigua, Barbados and perhaps Suriname. These teams will play concurrently with the D.C Jammers.

To complete the list of 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 female team from Washington to have a triangular women’s series.