IT’S been close to eight months since competitive basketball was played in Linden and to make matters worse, there’s no telling when it would ever return, given the fact that the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) is without a venue. The association’s prime venue for its activities – Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court (MSC) – was to be re-surfaced since last August and to date, according to LABA’s president Abdullah ‘Zico’ Hamid, a date of commencement of the work is not known.
Speaking with Chronicle Sport yesterday via telephone, Hamid noted that LABA recently held an executive meeting to decide on the way forward and would first will be writing to the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), whose responsibility it is to resurface the venue, to find out when exactly work will commence. He will also be seeking the assistance of the Mackenzie High School for the use of the court.
“We took a huge gamble last year when we just removed the backboards,” Hamid highlighted, adding that “because at the time, which was around August, they told us (MSC & RDC) they have a contractor to start so we gambled and moved the uprights, only now to be still waiting on them.
“The last time we checked they said they don’t have asphalt. But if they don’t have, how is it work is ongoing at the National Stadium? So I don’t know, but it’s not looking good for the sport.”
Questioned about the use of the other courts, like the one at Christianburg and at Amelia’s Ward, Hamid said that the LABA has looked at the other venues but deemed them unplayable.
“Well, we looked at Christianburg and they have issues with the bleachers and ring and at Amelia’s Ward, the marking is not right, I mean how it was set up. It has the ring on the court and that is the problem with most of the other courts. I will not play at any venue for the same of playing because we have to think of the players’ safety first” said Hamid.
Meanwhile, the LABA president said that talks are in place with personnel from the Mackenzie High School (MHS) for the use of their court where he said, if given, will be used for junior tournaments only.
“We can’t play senior competition there because it’s a bit small so we will have to play like from Under-17 to Under-21 there. This will be just to keep the sport going as we wait to sort out this issue with the MSC. We asked for the use of their court only on Saturdays and Sundays,” Hamid mentioned.
Hamid, a former National player-cum-national female coach, has came under some serious pressure from some of the affiliated clubs of the LABA with them stating that he (Hamid) could have done more for the sport and for not playing at the other venues.
But Hamid has defended his association’s decision to even scale down the amount of games played at the MSC hard court because of its deplorable state and said that his administration has made some strides since taking office.
He said as a former player and someone who came up playing at the MSC hard court, it’s disheartening to see how the venue had turned out and always said that once given a chance to man the LABA, he would leave resurfacing the venue as one of his legacies.
“People just want to play and don’t care about nothing else – I came up playing at the MSC hard court with many of the country’s top players – Ulrich Tappin, Royston Telford Sr, James Brusch and so many I can call have all played at the MSC court in the same state that it’s in.
“…The difference is that it’s unfair for those to come after and still use it in the same way that we all did. We need better.
“I honestly want to have a new facility but that’s not happening, but I know for sure I want to make it better at the MSC because that’s our main area.
“I don’t want to put a time frame for when it will end. I’m very sad with the situation but we are trying very hard to solve this and get basketball up back and running in Linden,” Hamid said.
The LABA, according to Hamid, is set to have its annual general meeting in April and it is with that in mind he’s hoping to restore the game to normalcy in the community.