Gregory Wyles: From North Ruimveldt Multilateral to CARICOM Basketball Championship

May 05, 2013 Sports

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Statistician Charwayne Walker continues this week with his look at basketball players who have done well representing Guyana in the past. Today he looks back at Gregory Wyles.
After being overlooked for the 1988 Caricom Championship which Guyana successfully hosted, Eagle’s power forward Gregory Wyles had to wait until December of the following year (1989) for his international debut.
Outstanding performances for both his club at the first division level and Georgetown at the inter sub association level, especially at the (1989) Guyana Games, left the national selectors with no choice but to include the name Gregory Wyles for three (3) International Goodwill matches against a strong Barbados Line up at the Nationals Sports Hall.

Wyles experienced limited time in his first series; he scored six (6) points in his first match in national colours as nerves took its toll as Barbados silenced a full house at Guyana’s premiere hoop venue.  His second international game was marred by a bottle throwing incident that brought a premature end to a contest that was dominated by the Bajans.
He celebrated victory for the first time as a National senior player when Christian, Tappin, and Cadogan ran the Bajans out of the Sports Hall with a blow out win in game three but that victory was consolation because Barbados had already won the series two games to one.
Although young Wyles court time was limited in his first international series the experience gained would later prove invaluable.
The following year 1990, GABF failed to provide the national team with any international competition so the hungry Wyles had to settle for division one inter ward and inter sub association action, Guyana also missed the 1990 Caricom championship in neighbouring Trinidad.
Ill luck seemed to be following the former North Ruimveldt Multi stand out, now employed by the Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation. Wyles left for his first overseas assignment in national colours at the 1991 Caricom Championship in Kingston, Jamaica.
His debut Caricom match was modest against Barbados which Leon Christian’s men lost 107 to 88. His second game at the Caricom level was much more productive.  Wyles scored 13 points in a rough battle with former NBA pros Andrew Kennedy and Wayne Sappleton, The National team also lost 87 to 75 to reggae country.
His biggest moment came in the next game against the Cayman Islands. Wyles scored his Caricom championship high 19 pts.  His club mate Sean Semple scored 21 points as the Eagles duo combined for 40 points and Guyana celebrated its only victory with a 132 to 66 points win which is still the widest for Guyana at the Caricom championship level (66 points).
In Guyana’s final preliminary game of the (1991) tournament, Wyles top scored with 18 points but Suriname edged the land of the mighty Kaieteur Falls 88 to 86.
Wyles finished his first Caricom championship with 57 points from four matches at an average of 14.25 points per game. Only Auric Tappin and Wayne Andries scored more points.
After the July 1991 tournament in Jamaica, Wyles next overseas tour was to Suriname for Goodwill matches against the host and club teams in August of the same year. This was a memorable tour for Wyles, who scored his career high in senior national colours against the Suriname Defence Force who were the then club champs.  Wyles had 29 points and Wayne Andries 30 points as Guyana led by Auric Tappin, blew out the Suriname national champs.
In the following year (1992) Wyles encountered his strongest opposition in Germany’s Professional Club TTL Bomery. The visit by the Germans was the first European pro team to tour the land of the mighty Kaieteur Falls.
In the Series opener, Wyles top scored for Georgetown with 17 points in a losing cause. The TTL Bomery lineup included two players that represented Germany at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Kai Numberger and Mike Jackel, two former NBA players Greg Butler and Clarence Svaderenger.  They also played 7 foot 4 inches Arne Alig.
Guyana also went down by wide margins in the two international matches against the visitors 109 to 77, with Dwayne Kendell 23 points, Wayne Andries 18 points and Gregory Wyles 12 points reaching double figures. In the final game, the host lost 105 to 82 with Wayne Andries scoring 20 points, Robert Cadogan 15 points, Eion Leitch 10 points and Gregory Wyles 9 points.
His next international series was against Barbados at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in July (1993). Guyana lost 2-1. He also played an integral role in Guyana’s first international triangular series since 1970 involving DC Jammers and Suriname in August of 1993. A series the land of many waters dominated but succumbed in the final to the Washington based team.
Overseas work commitment disqualified Wyles from taking part in the 1994 Caricom championship in Guyana.
He played his last international tournament in July 1995, the Caricom championship in the Bahamas.

 

 

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