Basketball exceeded expectations in 2015

Jan 04, 2016 Sports

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By Edison Jefford
Local basketball exceeded all expectations last year, if the sport is to be analysed on the basis of domestic activity and programmes, with its one disappointment being the last-place finish at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships.

The Nigel Hinds-led Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) began the year 2015 with its traditional ‘Road to Mecca II’ National Senior Club Championships. Though the event lacked the corporate support required in areas like marketing, there was an undoubtedly high level of the competition for the ensuing weeks.
The result was that a waning Pacesetters Club, still recovering from the migration of its Coach, Bobby Cadogan, was able to surpass expectations to win the coveted National Champions title, taking over the reigns from defending champs, Dyna’s Ravens.
The ‘Road to Mecca II’ had set the pace for a riveting year of basketball that also established an example for other associations. Some heightened activities, beginning with the second ‘Mecca to Mackenzie Playoffs’ that was held in Linden, was the offspring.
These activities took place between February and early March. In January, Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) welcomed a new President, Andrew Hercules Jr. who succeeded Michael Singh. Simultaneously in Linden, Lawrence Simon became President of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA).
The Mecca Championships led into a GABF Goodwill Series, March 10-15, featuring Guyana’s Senior Men National Team against Bermuda at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Guyana won the historic three-game international series 3-0 against the higher-ranked CBC affiliate.
For the record, we now know that the last time Guyana achieved such magnificent results from its national senior male basketball team was in 1997 and before then in 1969, making the 2015 result only the third such occurrence in Guyana’s basketball history to-date.
The tour was set as preparation for Guyana for the 2015 Caribbean Championships that was held in the British Virgin Islands, June 7-21. Guyana also toured Suriname following their impressive showing against Bermuda to continue preparations for CBC 2015.
They lost that three-game series early in May in Suriname 1-2 clearly underscoring a competitive nature against teams they will later play at the Caribbean Championships. Guyana and Suriname were in the same group for CBC 2015. The other teams in that group were Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, with Bermuda rounding out the five-team grouping.

The expectations at the federation were that at the end of the first phase of preparations, the team would have already played two of the teams in its group: Bermuda and Suriname. Thus Guyana’s performance prophesied of a decent showing at the Caribbean Championships.
While the GABF was managing its national programme with excellence, and little support from the corporate community, basketball was thriving under new leadership in Berbice following the timely injections it received from the national federation.
Apart from Berbice, Georgetown was in the midst of its ‘King of the Street’ Playoffs for second division clubs and Under-23 players and Linden was hosting its Pre-Independence tournament. It is also worth mentioning that the National Schools Basketball Festival (NSBF) was bouncing off in several conferences across Guyana.
The national programme did not compromise the domestic efforts. Guyana departed for the BVI well-prepared and exposed, but their performances told another story. Guyana was beaten to the point of embarrassment in each of their games, finishing tenth overall for last place. The sojourn prompted an outcry in the media and on social media.
The issue had everything to do with the fact that the Guyanese men showed no remorse for their performance, but instead posted photos on social media of them gleefully enjoying the sun, sea and sand of the British Virgin Island.
Upon their return to Guyana, a report was submitted to the federation, which concluded that a combination of local and foreign players is what is required for Guyana to have some improved performances at the Caribbean Championships.
Guyana’s women’s team also went to CBC 2015, but after some spirited performances, they also came up empty handed. However, credit must be given to the federation for sending both female and male teams to the Caribbean Championships in consecutive years, which can be referenced as a major success.
Later in June, the LABA unveiled its novel Schools’ Development Programme under the theme: ‘Fan-Out Exercise’, with the aim of developing the sport through education. The exercise was to assist both primary and secondary schools in Region 10 along with existing basketball clubs and youth groups, to completely develop the game of basketball.
In that same month, Ravens turned the tables on National Champions, Pacesetters to win GABA Hard Court title. Kwakwani also won three NSBF titles in June making yet another claim for the effervescent Coach, Ann Gordon and her programme to be elevated nation-wide.
GABA hosted an Open and Under-23 Knockout competition in August before the federation had held its inaugural Forbes Burnham Memorial Tournament. Colts prevailed at the MSC Court in a hostile environment to win the GABF Forbes Burnham title.
Embattled player, Dwayne ‘Sugar’ Roberts got a new lease on his career in September when the GABF decided to lift a ban imposed in 2014, after an infraction over returning national uniforms. Roberts was one of the players, who refused to return the national uniforms handed to him ahead of the Caribbean Championships in 2014, as the team’s management had mandated.
Also in September, the GABA made a structural move to reform clubs through encouraging the teams to create profiles for their database. This led to the Georgetown sub-association launching its official website aimed at marketing players and programmes.
The Brusche’s Classic continued in Linden while the LABA finished the year with its Malta Supreme Division I basketball competition. The federation also ended the year on a high note, hosting an Antigua and Barbuda All-Star team that Guyana swept 3-0 to give GABF a very good performance in 2015.

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