Guyanese should rally behind national youth basketball teams

Jun 28, 2016 Sports

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Dear Editor,
Guyana will host the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) U16 Championships, for young men and young women, July 3-9 and July 12-16, 2016, respectively.
This is indeed a historic moment in Guyana’s basketball history, probably, one of the most significant. We will be host to 10 male and seven female teams from across the Caribbean, including ‘Team Guyana’, competing on home soil.
Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG), for this reason is extremely pleased with this outcome. It has emphatically affirmed our efforts and the investment of our partners in school/youth basketball development over the last 10 years. It also sends a strong message about the priority of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), and its renewed commitment and interest in developing the game from the nursery up. The National Federation, led by Nigel Hinds must be commended and supported for making this possible.
We are only days away from the first jump-ball, we do not know which country will walk away with the titles, but our teams will do their best and will compete for every minute; but regardless of the final outcome of these Championships, there is no doubt in my mind that our youngsters, where ever they are from, would have all won on this occasion.
A few days ago the GABF and YBG, named the final 12 young men and 13 young women, who have emerged out of an extensive process of evaluation. Initially, 46 young men and 28 young women participated, under the watchful eyes of eight coaches, in addition to the involvement of the DC Jammers coaching staff.
Following the selection weekend the male team was shortlisted to 15 and a week later the women were shortlisted to 16 players. The shortlisted teams continued to train until now. Beginning on Saturday, June 25, both teams were encamped, the men for seven days and the women for two weeks.
The entire process from the trials to now, has so far taken in about five weeks, during this time more than half of those selected needed to acquire passports, some birth certificates- both FIBA required documents, for registration. Some never followed through, and had to be ruled out in the end, since both the initial deadline, and the extended grace period had expired.
I must admit, I was disappointed to read in last Thursday’s, June 23 Stabroek News, an article questioning the omission of “Kwakwani players” and giving the impression that these teams are not truly national representative.
As the Director of the CBC U16 Team Preparation and Selection process, and out of respect for the more than 70 young men and women and close to a dozen coaches who gave their input; this has been one of the most inclusive, expansive and transparent team selection processes by any measure. It is therefore unfortunate for anyone to question the integrity of this process without any real context of facts.
In the case of Kwakwani, there is no doubt about the Kwakwani Secondary School success in the National School Basketball Festival (NSBF), easily the most successful school to-date.
Unfortunately, for these U16 Championships, Kwakwani’s best prospects were all above the required age. In fact, nine of the 12 players from last year’s NSBF U16 title team were ruled out before the process even started because of this reason. Seven of the nine players who came to the trials, were from last year’s Under-14 team, obviously, just beginning to mature. Stanton Rose, for example, one of Guyana’s brightest stars, who didn’t even play on Kwakwani U16 team last year, even though he was eligible, missed this year’s CBC age requirement by just two days. All of the girls from Kwakwani Championship team last year, with the exception of Onica Rogers, who is on the women’s team, were ruled out for the same reason.
On the other hand, the team will be without two of the nation’s best prospects in Isaiah Adams, the NSBF 2015 U16 MVP, who migrated a few months ago, and Yonnick Tappin, who suffered a severe leg injury and are out for three weeks, both from Linden. These circumstances are beyond the selection committee’s control.
For the record, the male team has only four players, who are attending city schools and resides in Georgetown; of the others, four are from Berbice and the rest are from the lower and upper East Coast of Demerara. On the women’s side, six are from Georgetown schools, three from the lower and upper East Coast, two from Berbice and, one from Kwakwani.
The coaches are; Head Coach, Mr. Lugard Mohan, Georgetown, Assistant, Kevin Bonnett, Linden and Willon Cameron, Berbice. The women coaches are; Head Coach, Abdulla Hamid, Linden, Assistant Ann Gordon, Kwakwani, and Kirk Fraser, New Amsterdam.
Obviously, it’s always incredibly difficult to try to identify 12 players from a group of so many trying to get on the team, especially in an environment as diverse and as vast as ours, fortunately we would have seen most of these players over time in the NSBF and because we had a pre-existing database, that made the task a little easier.
The focus of the selection process was to put together the best possible team. Never before we have had so many youth players involved, and given the talent we have seen, even from those who need a year or two more to develop, the future is very bright for Guyana’s basketball. We should all view this as a positive development for our youths and rally behind our teams, which in the end will only be representing one flag, the Golden Arrow Head.
In the end, both teams that were selected have many of the necessary pieces for success, though we could have used a little more time – but the talent, right attitude, leadership on and off the court, experience coaching staff, and a committed National Federation and Local Organizing Committee, that is locked in.
What our teams need now is the support of all stakeholders, rallying behind them.
Go Team Guyana!
Yours Sincerely,
Chris Bowman
CBC U16 Preparation and Selection Committee

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