Ravens set sight on second national championship

Mar 02, 2016 Sports

By Edison Jefford
Dyna’s Ravens has set it sight on winning its second National Basketball Championship, after it carefully

Ryan Stephney

assessed the brackets in its half of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) 2016 National Championships: The Road to Mecca III.
Ravens’ Assistant Coach/Manager, Marlon Rodrigues told Kaieteur Sport that training has been on schedule and the club have already purposed the top prize money for the tournament, which is to erect flood lights at its training facility in Campbellville.
“Right now that prize money is sounding nice to us. We are planning to put up light on our court with it,” Rodrigues said when contacted yesterday. The winner of the national title will pocket an impressive $500,000 and Championship Trophy.
The second place team take home $250,000; third place $150,000 and fourth $100,000. Ravens won the title in 2014. A win for them in the upcoming Championship will give the team a second title in three years, albeit, a historic title in Guyana’s Jubilee year.
Ravens will set flight at its title ambitions on Sunday at 9pm against Bankers Trust Falcons from Linden at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. They will either meet Republic Bank Nets or Plaisance Guardians in the Super Eight the following weekend.
“We are anticipating some good, competitive games. We looked at our first round game and then our second game; once we get pass those two teams, the title is ours,” Rodrigues said confidently as he alluded to a possible Final Four showdown with Colts.
But all that is left to be seen since no one can predict the outcome of the games. He said that their systems

Dominic Vincente

are working well right now. “We have no additional players; no overseas-based players; we have the same team – a pack of veteran players,” Rodrigues said.
He was throwing direct barbs at some teams, especially Colts, which had indicated an interest in returning long-time Trinidad and Tobago-based member, forward, Andrew Ifill to its roster along with Trinidad-based, forward, Steve McSeen.
In addition, Pepsi Sonics’ United States-based, forward Collis ‘Forty’ Pluck, among some others, had also indicated that they are coming to represent the club. Rodrigues was hinting that Ravens do not need to import players to have a clear shot at the title.
Rodrigues informed that Ravens will be promoting two of its Under-23 players to the Division I category for the national tournament. He said that those players coupled with the experience of a bunch of seasoned campaigners like guard Ryan Stephney and Dominic Vincente; forward Ryan Gullen, should be enough to return national glory to the club.