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The most significant year in Guyana Basketball history – 2018
The most significant moment for Guyana’s basketball in 2018 was the end of the nation’s 36-year wait to win the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Senior Male Championship. This occasion was also the grandest in the history of the sport locally and the Stanton Rose led team played unbeaten in the 10-team tournament which was contested at Anthony Nesty Sporthal in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Stanton, who became the youngest senior captain in Guyana’s basketball history at 18-years-old, a natural leader was also voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the one-week tournament which was well organised in the Dutch speaking Republic.
The skipper’s best performances came against the Guyanese toughest opposition in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) during the group stage where he swoo
Team Guyana played unbeaten in the CBC championship last year June.
shed a tournament high 41 points and in the final against Antigua & Barbuda when he poured in a game-high 26 points during his team’s 13-point triumph.
After being the star of the tournament, he was able to secure a scholarship to Jacksonville College in Texas, United States where he is currently pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Science.
The odds were against the Guyanese, they entered the competition with a young and inexperienced team, the Head Coach Junior Hercules was in his first stint in charge of the side (112) that was the second lowest ranked with the hosts Suriname (114), in the cellar position.
And, the only persons, prior to the start of the tournament, who would’ve believed that the Golden Arrowhead posed a major title threat would’ve been the Guyanese players and management staff since they had finished last in the previous tournament hosted by Tortola, British Virgin Islands in 2015.
Guyana’s training for the event commenced immediately after the National Club Championships in April and President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), Nigel Hinds, had shared with Kaieteur Sport since then that he was almost certain that the competition scheduled for June would see his side emerging as champions.
The GABF almost didn’t get to field a team in the tournament that also served as the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americup pre-qualifiers because of difficulties reaching the target of the travel budget but Hinds cand his executive pulled it off with much help from the corporate community and their own pockets.
Former President Donald Ramoutar along with Minister of State Joseph Harmon and his fellow Parliamentarian David Patterson had made contributions to the team. Inclusive of the captain, Guyana had four teenagers in their squad, Kevon Wiggins (17), Timothy Thompson (19) and Travis Belgrave (19). Each of those players had vital game changing performances that helped Guyana to the title.
In the first group-game, Wiggins top scored with 18 points to help Guyana crush Grenada by 29 points. Thompson (Centre) was a rock in defence and allowed starter Shaine Webster to periodically rest easy when he took over the role.
Despite not being involved much in the tournament, Belgrave was trusted by the Coach to play the latter of the third and majority of the fourth quarters where he sank a three-pointer and had three steals during an excellent defensive effort.
Most of Guyana’s team included locally based players but Anthony Moe (USA) and Ray Victor (British Virgin Islands) proved extremely significant addition
GABF Secretary Patrick Haynes (right) bestowing the CBC MVP award last June on Guyana’s Captain Stanton Rose.
s to the national team. When Guyana squared up with the host nation and long-time rivals Suriname during a vital group stage match-up, the Dutchmen employed a double-team tactic to stop the dangerous Rose which was also the case in their semifinal match against Barbados, but Victor, Guyana’s Co-Captain, stepped up with match winning performances in both those games.
Power forward Anthony Moe was a man mountain and proved difficult for the opposition to out jump and to menacingly add to his physical dominance, Moe regularly hit shots from beyond the three-point arc.
Shaine Webster was part of the starting lineup in each match and the Center player was one of the more consistent players. The full team read: 1. Stanton Rose (Captain), Harold Adams, Orland Glasgow, Shaine Webster, Ray Victor, Anthony Moe, Travis Burnett, Travis Belgrave, Denzel Devonish, Timothy Thompson and Kevon Wiggins. (Calvin Chapman)
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