Marshall boost for FIBA Americas qualifiers GABF still sourcing $10million in funding

Feb 01, 2019 Sports

Guyana’s senior men’s basketball team’s chances of qualifying for the FIBA Americas 2021 tournament recently got a major boost after former NBA player, Rawle Marshall, signaled his availability to contest

Micheal Singh

this month’s qualifiers which will be played in Colombia.
During his NBA career, Marshall enjoyed stints with Dallas Mavericks (2005-06) and Indiana Pacers (2006-07). He then moved to Europe where he played with the Serbian club KK Hemofam during the 2007–08 season averaging 17.3 points per game. He then moved to the Croatian league club KK Cibona for the 2008–09 season.
The last club the Guyanese signed for was the Greek league team, Koroivos Amaliadas in 2014.
In an invited comment with Kaieteur Sport, newly elected head of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), Michael Singh, shared that, “Having a player with Marshall’s experience and ability is a great opportunity for us as we embark on the biggest moment of Guyana’s basketball history.”
Guyana have been placed in Pool B of the qualifiers that runs from February 20th to 24th alongside the hosts Colombia, Paraguay and Bolivia, with the top two teams of the group advancing to the 2021 FIBA Americas tournament that will see world number one, USA, participating in the biennial event.

Rawle Marshall

Singh revealed during the interview that the budget to travel to Colombia has been pegged at $10million. Almost half of the budget will account for travel for the costly trip to the Colombian city of Bogota which will host the qualifiers.

Singh, a former Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) executive further posited that the team may be in danger of not reaching the qualifiers if they are not majorly funded, “But once the Government of Guyana and or ExxonMobil comes through, we will be okay. We Have also approached the Minister of Tourism Cathy Hughes along with other bodies of the cooperate community and the Executive Committee is willing to foot out of pocket any affordable shortcomings of the budget’s target.”
Guyana qualified for the FIBA Americas qualifiers after winning the nation’s maiden Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Men’s championship last June in Suriname.