Latest update December 20th, 2024 12:16 AM
The highs and lows in local Sports
Basketball in 2012
Unfortunately 2012 marked another low productive year for basketball in Guyana following a lack of initiative and enthusiasm from the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) that forced individual programmes to keep the sport alive.
Chris Bowman continued his Government-supported National Schools’ Basketball Festival (NSBF) that has gained momentum and grown to become the premier schools basketball event in Guyana.
Ann Gordon
Ann Gordon firmly established herself as the leading youth basketball coach in Guyana when she won the main titles with her Kwakwani team. Yet the federation seems inhibited from Gordon as a precious resource in advancing youth basketball programmes.
Then there was the launch of the National Community Basketball League (NCBL), which was in effect, the rebranding of the Inter-Ward Basketball Championships. Robert Cadogan and Kwame Mentor spearheaded the NCBL project that is incomplete.
This brings us to a low point for basketball in 2012. The NCBL was struggling for corporate and spectator support, but the Coordinators could have completed the competition; it seems as though they lost interest and the tournament was abandoned.
It is not the only event with the incomplete distinction. The GABF is yet to host the final of the National Division I Championships. This year will mark three years since the federation has failed to bring together Ravens and Pacesetters for the final.
It is another low point last year with the competition seeing another year fizzle out without being held. The NCBL and the GABF Division I contest are incomplete, which seriously affected the proliferation of the sport.
Ansa McAl under its Mackeson brand rescued basketball to some extent when it hosted Smooth Moves II. The competition resurrected teams at the grassroots level and offered the highest cash incentive of $1M in the sport at any level. Basketball needed the injection.
The Pepsi Sonics ‘Refresh Yourself’ tournament and Colts’ Phillip George Legacy tournament closed the year on a high in Georgetown while the Linden also hosted back-to-back tournaments that got the new administration there up and running.
But analysis will show that apart from the DC Jammers tour last year, the GABF did very little to advance the sport in Guyana, leaving such initiatives up to clubs and private entities. The sport in Guyana is crying out for leadership as another year begins.
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