Rawle Toney to attend FIBA Referee Certification Clinic in Cayman Islands

SPORTS Journalist Rawle Toney is the lone representative named by the Guyana Basketball Official Council (GBOC) and by extension the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), to participate in the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC)/FIBA Americas Referee Certification Clinic, set for the Cayman Islands from April 9 to 12.

Rawle Toney is caught as he is about to administer a call during a game in the GABF Road Mecca Basketball tournament at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall
Rawle Toney is caught as he is about to administer a call during a game in the GABF Road Mecca Basketball tournament at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall

A check on the Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) website (www.fiba.com) shows that currently, Guyana does not have any certified officials, since the most recent Aubrey Young, Sherwin Henry and Lugard Mohan were taken off the list due to inactivity.
According to FIBA, in order to be eligible for certification, “the referee cannot be older than 35 years of age when taking part in a FIBA Clinic for Referee Candidates and will not be considered a FIBA-Active Referee after the age of 50”.
FIBA further stated, “In order to obtain the title of FIBA Referee, the candidates must be proposed officially by their member-federation, participate in a Clinic for FIBA Referee Candidates, pass theoretical (basketball rules) and physical fitness and practical (officiating the game) tests”
Toney is the youngest official in the small pool of referees in Guyana and has been a regular feature with the whistle at games in the city and under the guidance of Mohan, the GBOC has taken a more professional approach and has since been seeking to attract more youths to become referees.
“Being a referee is something I wish I had done earlier. If I had known how good it feels officiating in the sport that I love, I would’ve stopped playing basketball a long time ago,” Toney said.
“As a player, I used to be the type that gave the officials a hard time; always questioning their calls because I thought that I knew more than some of them. After my interest to play the game went away, I stuck to just reporting on the game and I still question decisions made by the officials. Then I was encouraged by Lugard (Mohan) when he helped put the GBOC together to pick up officiating.”
In 2012, Toney was a standout at a Pre-Certification course, hosted by the-then David Patterson-led GABF and conducted by FIBA Referee Instructor Glyne Clarke, where he gained a 75% pass mark which was by far, the highest among the 10 persons who participated and he also passed his fitness test.
In his report to the CBC and the GABF, Clarke had noted that in his opinion “none of the referees that attended the clinic was ready for FIBA certification but Rawle Toney, who is not a practising referee but was keen and readily understood the concepts of officiating.”
Though a registered member of GBOC since the GABF affiliate’s conception, the-then Referees Council head Cecil Chin had told the FIBA Instructor otherwise and as such had prevented Toney from attending a Certification Course that was held in St Lucia.
“That happened for a reason,” Toney said, adding “my knowledge of the game has expanded, I’ve become more confident in myself and carrying the whistle and a lot has changed from then to now.”
As it relates to being ready to join a short list – four to be exact – of referees who were able to gain FIBA Certification, Toney pointed out, “It’s not as easy as it seems but the good thing is that I’m always reading and putting the rules into practice. Also, I must say that those who have gone before, especially Lugard and Aubrey Young, have been very supportive and encouraging. Those two I can call on anytime to help explain something. Not to mention that they let me know straight up what I did wrong and how to correct it.”
With regard to funding, according to Toney, “It’s challenging, but I admire the support received so far from the GABF, especially Mr (Nigel) Hinds and GBOC in ensuring that I get to the Cayman Islands. It was sort of a short notice to me but with the CBC Championship coming up and Guyana sending a team, I don’t want to let the opportunity slip. In everything we do, we all want to reach the pinnacle and by attending the clinic it’s one step closer to reaching mine”
At the moment, Toney is officiating in the GABF’s ‘Road to Mecca’ Basketball tournament that is now down to the final that will be played between Linden’s Retrieve Raiders and Georgetown’s Ravens and the Sports Journalist, by profession, has had his share of ‘big games’ donning the ‘black and white stripes’.
“I’ve officiated every game night in the tournament and was told that I would be one of the three referees in the Final on Sunday. I think I had to be doing something right to get, if not most, all of the ‘big games’ in the tournament. I’ve had my share of criticisms but I honestly laugh at them because I used to be those persons, always questioning the official calls. This tournament is valuable practice and I’m happy to receive the ‘go-a-head’ from GBOC,” Toney said.

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