GABF boss calls it “tough”
THE Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) on Thursday released the groupings for their 21st CBC Championships which is set for Nassau Bahamas from July 25 to 30 (males) and August 1 to 5 (females). Guyana, who will be competing in the male championships have been placed with defending and five-time champions Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Turks and Caicos and 2000 Champions Virgin Islands in Group ‘A’ of the 10-team tournament.
Group ‘B’ comprises 1998 Champions British Virgin Island (BVI), hosts and six-time winners Bahamas, Bermuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Cayman Islands.
According to a memorandum sent by the CBC to all the participating national federations, the official playing schedule will be released to the teams by Wednesday May 18.
The seeding which was done by the CBC’s Vice President (Technical) Glyne Clarke is being labelled by the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) David Patterson as “tough”.
Speaking with Chronicle Sport yesterday, Patterson said that Guyana’s preparation will certainly have to be strong and having the best possible team at the championships is certain.
“We expected it and I must say it’s a tough group to be placed in but that happens when you have not been playing at that level for a very long time. However, we are moving in what we have to do to make our team strong and heading to the CBC,” Patterson noted.
The GABF president mentioned that “Guyana will be represented without a doubt” and when asked about how far is preparation, he said, “We have to wait until the completion of the national league and move ahead with the team selection.”
Dyna’s Ravens and Courts Pacesetters are the two teams that would be competing for the “top club” cap but a date for the clash has not yet been finalised.
“The Venue is booked out,” Patterson noted, “right now Mr Levi (Floyd) is trying to see what date we will get on a weekend, but we can’t wait any longer because time is not on our side and the GABF has a lot to do leading up to the CBC Championships.”
One of the developments of the game that Patterson is referring to is the hosting of the FIBA Level One coaching clinic, to be conducted by former National Basketball Association (NBA) coach, Tom Newell, May 23 – 30.
Newell served as the assistant coach of the Seattle Supersonics (now known as the Oklahoma City Thunders), New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks.
He first started as an NBA scout for the Golden State Warriors before joining the Seattle bench as the assistant coach from 1984 to 1990, having a brief stint as the head coach of the Supersonics in 1989. According to Newell’s profile at the Douglas Sports Institute, he has also represented FIBA as one of their Expert Instructors in their Olympic Development Progamme.
Patterson informed Chronicle Sport that Newell also said that while in Guyana, he would like to work with the Guyana national team, but the GABF will have to put some system in place to facilitate such request.
“He said it’s a norm for him that whichever country he conducts this clinic, he works with the national programme, but sad to say that up to this point in time we cannot put together a group of guys for him to work with, but we will be meeting shortly to put some system in place because we can’t have a man with his experience here and not utilise it to the fullest,” Patterson noted.
Patterson had noted that having Guyana return to international competitive action will be the GABF’s priority and had moved to have his Federation realign with the sport’s governing body FIBA and the CBC.
Once known as a dominant force in Caribbean Basketball, after finishing third at the 2000 – then CARICOM Championships, seven years later (2007) they returned with an all-overseas team, placing 8th at the completion of the event.
In 2009 Guyana had indicated that they were willing to host the event, but negotiations fell through with the-then late Col. Godwin McPherson-led GABF and the Government of Guyana.
Their breakdown led to Guyana not attending the championships which eventually British Virgin Islands hosted