THE Linden Amatuer Basketball Association (LABA), in an attempt to bring its affiliates up to date with the latest international basketball rule changes, as mandated by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), has, in association with the newly formed Guyana Basketball Officials Council (GBOC), organised a two-day Referees and Table Officials Clinic.
The clinic will be held at the Mackenzie Sports Club Pavilion tomorrow and Sunday and will be targeting referees, aspirant referees, table officials and coaches in the Linden area.
Former FIBA Referee Cecil Chin and past Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Technical Director and veteran local statistician Dennis Clarke are the two officials who will travel to Linden to conduct the two-day clinic.
While it is not a certification clinic, Chin, who is Chairman of the GBOC, said that the aim is to bring to the fore the latest changes in the rules governing international basketball.
All the affiliated clubs in Linden have been invited to send three persons, namely a table official, a referee and a coach to this clinic.
President of the LABA, Captain Eon Murray, also advised that the association should open up the two-day seminar for other unattached persons who are interested in being either a referee, table official or coach.
This will help spread the officiating responsibilities beyond the main administrators of the game in Linden, as the GBOC looks to extend its arm to other parts of the country. Important also is the fact that all involved in officiating must be knowledgeable of the rules governing FIBA basketball.
Interested persons are asked to immediately contact either the secretary of LABA, Joseph Chapman, on 621-1643 or the organising secretary Haslyn Graham on 684-2278 or the treasurer of the association Eusi Francis on 641-6000 or 2nd vice-president Bryan Lewis on 622-8139.
The sessions will be held tomorrow from 12:30hrs to 15:00hrs and from 17:00hrs to 19:00hrs but on Sunday from 12:00hrs to 16:00hrs.
Referees based in Linden were unable to attend a Referees’ Pre-Certification clinic which was conducted by CBC vice-president Barbadian Glyne Clarke recently in Georgetown; so the LABA felt it best to have the GBOC officials come to Linden, where it will be easier to have the basketball officials from the area attend.
The LABA 2011 season is expected to bounce off soon with an eight-team Independence Interward basketball championship but this depends heavily on the completion of rehabilitation works currently being undertaken at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.