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YBG announces initial programme
Following an impressive launch in January where Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) received the full support of Government, the organisation is preparing to role out its first programme with the YBG Challenge Series set to commence next weekend.
Chris Bowman
Co-Founder of Street Solutions, and Executive Officer of YBG, Chris Bowman indicated that an initial Mashramani Skills Challenge was to be held within the period of the Republic celebrations but they were forced to shift the dates out of that period.
The Series will now commence on March 11 and run through March13 with ‘jump-ball’ on each day set for 13:30hrs. Bowman told Kaieteur Sport yesterday that the programme was planned with the aim of providing regular playing opportunities for youths.
“The purpose is to provide a steady diet of basketball and other activities to aid the development, and monitor that development, of youths. We believe that this should happen every six weeks but our objective is to provide that stable platform,” Bowman said
The YBG Executive Officer stated that the activities next weekend are not just tournament-based but will be focusing on the fundamentals of players. “I think that the next generation of players in Guyana have to be very fundamentally sound,” he continued.
Apart from the regular and more seasonal knockout tournaments, the event will include three-on-three competitions and a variety of skill-based events; those skill-based events include the three-point shootout contest and free-throw shootout pair competition.
The event will also have skill challenges and two-ball exhibitions. The Challenge Series is still open to all schools. Some of the leading basketball-playing schools from within the City and the East Coast are expected to compete. Teams from the Upper Demerara Region are also expected to compete in what is expected to be a showpiece weekend for youth basketball.
School of the Nations guard, Jonathon Pooran, Guyana Education Trust College guard, Dominic ‘The Logo Kid’ Vincente as well as Tequain Vieira and Jonathon Beaton from Marian Academy have already indicated their interest in the shootout competitions.
The shootout competition will have a new twist with teams of two shooting and cooperating for the shooting title. While one person shoots, another rebounds and they will rotate their roles and race against the clock for both the three-point and free throw contests.
There are no restrictions forbidding persons who are not on the same school team from teaming up to take part, however, participation with teammates are encouraged. The aim of the exercise is to foster the development of ball-handling and shooting fundamentals.
The YBG Initiative was launched in January with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony expressing confidence in the organisation. Anthony had said then that he is quite certain that YBG will be able to take the sport to the next level.
The Initiative has the National Sports Commission and the Haynes Foundation as Partners. Its goal is two-fold; the first objective is to build a firm structure for youth basketball by establishing and enhancing a link between grassroots, youth/school and senior competition.
The second primary objective of YBG is to provide greater opportunities for young players while promoting the value of education through the formation of well-rounded student-athletes, who’re able to graduate from the local level to international basketball. (Edison Jefford)
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