AFTER two days and four intense training sessions, the Guyana U-19 Inter-Guiana Goodwill Games squad has been shortlisted for the upcoming games against Suriname.
The trials initially started with an extraordinary total of 41 players, but list has since been trimmed to 16 players from Georgetown, Berbice, Linden and Kwakwani. However, the 12-man team is yet to be selected from the 16 players left. This year the pool for selection was filled with big men as well as guards and finding the best players was a task.
However, the coaches who doubled as selectors are confident with the players that did make the cut. President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association, Junior Hercules, and University of Guyana coach Naylon Loncke are the coaches of the side.
According to Hercules: “Our primary focus was to determine, amongst the 41 participants, whether or not they were able to dribble, pass, play, listen, rebound, be coachable and their overall activity. You were able to give yourself an individual option by ball work and drills and secondly by the ability to play in a team.”
He also added that the rate of errors made by the players during scrimmages was taken into account to determine which players to retain.

The 16 players include: Akil Vaughn, Jahleel Duke, Jamal Gilkes, Malcolm Powar, Nathan Saul, Neil Wills, Patrice Agrippa, Ramone Fogenay, Roger John, Sabastian Luke, Sherland Gillis, Stanton Rose, Tafawa Daly, Terrence Daniels, Timothy Thompson and Travis Belgrave.