THE name Andrew Ifill has been echoing across the local basketball circuit ever since the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) announced that it will be hosting the Godwin McPherson Goodwill Series, August 18-24 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The main feature of the tournament will see Guyana’s male basketball team come up against the Washington DC Jammers – a touring team comprising mostly of Guyanese.
Also, the South Carolina Lady All-Stars will be making their second visit to Guyana to take on the local ladies on their charity drive to spread their knowledge of basketball and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
All the ladies on the side are standouts at the US Collegiate level with some having professional exposure in the US and further afield.
DC Jammers last visit to Guyana was in 2007 where they played in a tournament that also featured Trinidad and Tobago.
In Ifill’s last meeting with the Jammers he entertained a full Sports Hall with his match-up against Gordon Klaidre who had won the hearts of the local fans with his brilliant display of the game.
The match-up between the two was the highlight of the tournament in which the DC Jammers won.
Speaking with Chronicle Sport from his Trinidad and Tobago location via telephone, Ifill made it clear that he’s more than anxious to don the national colours once again and more so lead Guyana to victory.
Fresh from a stint in the United Emirates City of Dubai, playing for the Al Nasr Basketball Club, Ifill believes that at present he’s more mature compared to 2007 when he last met his US-based counterparts and that he’s expecting a tough line-up.
“Everyone knows that the DC Jammers always come to Guyana to win and that’s why I know it wouldn’t be easy playing against them. I don’t expect anything new from them just I think they’ll have like six new players and that’s about it,” Ifill said.
The 30-year-old Ifill was a member of the National team that placed third in the Caribbean Basketball Championship, held in Barbados in 2000.
Since then he had been hampered by a Visa refusal when the team was down to compete in Puerto Rico in 2007 but he never gave up on playing for his homeland and he believes that his presence on the team will certainly be motivation for the newcomers to the national unit.
“I think that I have the respect of my players because I respect them; they will look to me for support and so I will look to them as well. I’m really looking forward to playing for Guyana again and especially playing with some of the youngsters,” Ifill added.
The well-built power forward, who earned the alias ‘Mr Dunk’ for his attitude of playing above the rim, is back playing in Trinidad with the Royal Extra Lions, where he’s the team’s leading scorer.
“I’m back in Trinidad and Tobago like about two weeks or so ago, but presently my mind is set on coming home and playing for Guyana.
“I think this is a time when all of us (players) should really support this effort to get the National team back to where it was. Crowd support will be important especially for the new players so it will be good if people could really come out and support us,” the power forward added.