THE Ninth Annual Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) project was launched yesterday at the National Sports Commission’s Sports Resource Centre, Woolford Avenue.

Speaking at the launch, president of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Chris Bowman said it is his association’s thoughts that they need to promote youth basketball if the sport is to make strides locally and regionally.
Bowman pointed out that the current Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) champion club, Ravens, is comprised of a number of players who benefited from the YBG project which is in its ninth year.
The GFA boss stated that the National Sports Commission, which has been on board with the project from its inception, uses the festival to select players to represent Guyana at the Annual Inter-Guiana Games, contested between youth teams from Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
He said the YBG project is just one of the many programmes his association has initiated with an aim to develop the youths of Guyana to become student athletes, giving them a chance to become rounded individuals. He said that most of the coordinators of the programme are products of the YBG project and he is happy about that.
Like other associations and organisations, Bowman said sponsorship for any programme is the key and he is happy that Digicel, Banks DIH Limited and Edward B. Beharry and Company Limited have come on board or are still on board.
According to Bowman, when the idea of the YBG project was thought about, it was put to the Director of Sport Neil Kumar who immediately acquiesced and has over the past nine years been very supportive.
Bowman promised that this year’s tournament will be of a very high standard and at5 the conclusion of it, 12 teams will be selected to work and build the capacity of the sport.
The tournament will get under way on May 10 and conclude on July 11.
The Georgetown Regionals will be played from May 10 to July 4 when the finals will be held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall and this will be followed by the National finals from July 6 to 13 at the same venue.
Regional tournaments are used to qualify and seed teams for the National School Basketball Festival so teams must therefore participate in the Regionals for a chance to go to the National Championship.
Director of Sport Neil Kumar who was also present at yesterday’s launch congratulated Bowman and his team for organising such a Festival and noted that the genesis of the tournament came about from the Inter- Guiana Games.
Kumar thanked the sponsors for their support and urged GABA president Nigel Hinds who was also present yesterday to further develop the sport locally.
“We want students in schools to play basketball so that they can earn a scholarship to play and study overseas,” Kumar urged, adding that he is interested in seeing the country’s youths live a healthy lifestyle.
Anjuli Beharry-Strand who represented Edward B. Beharry and Company yesterday, in very brief remarks said her company is very pleased to be on board but what is of utmost importance is her company giving back to the community.
Banks DIH’s Public Relations Manager Troy Peter said Banks DIH has been on board the project for the past six years and they (Banks DIH) are pleased with what has been going on.
Peters noted that Sprite beverage has been associated with basketball at the international level and he committed his company’s involvement with the YBG project for years to come.
Digicel’s Sponsorship and Events manager Gavin Hope in his remarks stated that Digicel is happy to be on board and he too committed his company’s continued support to the project.
Hope said over the past years Digicel has seen the growth in the sport locally and it is a very huge project which calls for organisational skills.
Hope called for head teachers and physical education teachers to become more involved in the sport and noted that very often, one can pass by a school and see students playing the game in their schoolyards using one ring.
GABA president Nigel Hinds congratulated Bowman for the initiative of the YBG project, noting that the GABA has worked with the YBG over a number of years and will continue to work with them, despite the ups and downs they have had.